To change your status to J-1 student status while remaining in the U.S., you must submit an application to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). This process may take 3-6 months or longer, so plan accordingly. ISPO recommends that you start this process at least 6 months before your current status expires.
USCIS is now requiring all nonimmigrants to maintain a valid non-immigrant status up until 30 days before the requested start date on the Form DS-2019. ISPO recommends that students consult with an experienced immigration attorney with questions about procedures and maintenance of status during the pendency of a change of status application.
Students changing from B-2 or F-2 status to J-1 MUST receive approval before the first day of the admitted quarter. Failure to receive J-1 approval may delay your admission or prevent your enrollment at UC San Diego.
Application packets sent via the United States Postal Service including USPS Express Mail, Priority Mail, or Certified Mail, should be sent to the USCIS Dallas Lockbox facility:
- USCIS
P.O. Box 660166
Dallas, TX 75266
Do not use the P.O. Box address listed above if you are sending your package via express mail/courier services, such as FedEx and UPS. Express mailings require a physical street address. Send your package via FedEx or UPS to:
- USCIS
ATTN: I-539
2501 S. State Highway 121 Business
Suite 400
Lewisville, TX 75067
Note: Due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, USCIS has experienced delays in scheduling or rescheduling application support center (ASC) appointments to collect biometrics. Before visiting any USCIS facility, check the USCIS Office Closings webpage for the current operating status.
USCIS may require that you appear for an interview or provide biometrics (fingerprints, photograph, and/or signature) at any time to verify your identity, obtain additional information, and conduct
background and security checks, including a check of criminal history records maintained by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), before making a decision on your application or petition. After USCIS receives your application and ensures it is complete, USCIS will inform you in writing (via regular mail) if you need to attend a biometric services appointment.
If an appointment is necessary, the notice will provide you the location of your local or designated USCIS Application Support Center (ASC) and the date and time of your appointment. If you are required to provide biometrics, at your appointment you must sign an oath reaffirming that:
- You provided or authorized all information in the application;
- You reviewed and understood all of the information contained in, and submitted with, your application; and
- All of this information was complete, true, and correct at the time of filing.
If you fail to attend your biometric services appointment, USCIS may deny your application.
We recommend that you review your copy of your completed application before you go to your biometric services appointment at a USCIS ASC. At your appointment, USCIS will permit you to complete the application process only if you are able to confirm, under penalty of perjury, that all of the information in your application is complete, true, and correct. If you are not able to make that attestation in good faith at that time, USCIS will require you to return for another appointment.