Although you were admitted to the United States for "duration of status" (D/S on your I-94), each academic program you pursue has a time period in which you are expected to complete that program. This time period may or may not correspond to the Minnesota State University, Mankato departmental degree period limitations. If the completion date indicated on your I-20 form (see section 5 on I-20) will pass before you can complete your studies, you must apply for an extension. CIS regulations require that you apply 30 days prior to the date of expiration on the I-20.
You are eligible for an extension if the following apply:
Program extention form is linked below:
If the cause of the delay is academic, please follow the procedure below according to your location:
If the cause of the delay is a documented illness, please make an appointment with the International Student Advisor. You will need to bring your old I-20, documentation of the illness from a doctor, and evidence of financial support. If you have questions about program extensions please contact the International Student Offices at (507) 389-1281.
This page provides Visiting Professors and Research Scholars in J-1 status at colleges or university in the United States with important immigration information in terms of extending the stay, status responsibility, as well as advice for a J-1 visa status. It outlines the procedures to follow if you need to extend your permission to stay in this country in order to accomplish your original program objective as a J-1 Exchange Visitor.
For further details, consult International Student Office.
Your permission to stay in the United States will expire 30 days after the date shown in item number 3 of your Form DS-2019, "Certificate of Eligibility for Exchange Visitor (J-1) Status." Note: Under current J-1 rules your I-94 Departure Record card should be marked "Duration of Status" or "D/S." If your I-94 has a specific date of expiration, see the International Student Office to discuss extension procedures at least 2 months prior to the expiration date.
To extend your permission to stay in the United States, you must first obtain a new Form DS-2019 from your J-1 Responsible Officer, who will need proof of your eligibility before issuing the Form. If your J-1 sponsor is an agency, and if you are uncertain how to reach your Responsible Officier, the Coordinator will help you contact the agency.
You are eligible to apply for an extension of stay if:
Two months before your permission to stay expires, contact your academic department about extending your program. You will need a memo from the department explaining why additional time is needed (no longer three years in total).
You must then contact the International Student Office for a new DS-2019 before your current DS-2019 expires. In addition to the department memo, you must provide the Coordinator with new financial documents to cover expenses for you and your dependents, and to show proof of health insurance.
If you go abroad and come back into this country using the new Form DS-2019, then your reentry will extend your permission to stay. However, the "leaving and reentering" procedure may not work if you travel to Canada, Mexico, or the Caribbean islands for less than 30 days. This is because the Citizen and Immigration Service (CIS) inspector at the port of entry may hand back your Form DS-2019 intact and unmarked, and refuse to record your reentry. If that happens to you, you will have to proceed as though you had not gone abroad, and either leave North America and reenter, or else carry out the "Notification" procedure outlined below. If you do leave North America you will need a valid J-1 visa stamp to reenter this country (unless you are Canadian). If yours has expired, you will have to apply for a new one at a United States consulate abroad. Besides Form DS-2019 and your passport, and those of your dependents who accompany you, the Visa Officer may want to see proof of funding that does not come directly from your J-1 sponsor or your school (for example a letter of award or support, a bank statement, documentation of income, etc.). Your dependents will need J-2 visas, and you should be prepared to show proof of marriage to your spouse and parenthood of each child. Be sure to contact the U.S. consulate where you will be applying to renew your visa about application procedures and processing time.
First, fill out and sign the back of the white page of your new Form DS-2019. Then proceed with the notification process.
You may use this procedure only if your I-94 Departure Record card shows "Duration of Status" or "D/S" instead of a specific expiration date. Take your Form DS-2019 and your passport to your J-1 Responsible Officer. You will need to answer the questions on the back of the white page, and sign the back of the yellow form. The Responsible Office will mail the yellow copy to the United States Department of State as notification, and return a copy to you. That will complete your extension. You must have a valid passport and proof of insurance coverage before the extension can be mailed to the Department of State. If you need to extend your passport, apply for an extension from your Consulate in Washington. After you have extended your stay inside the country, avoid a common mistake if you travel abroad. Do not assume that with an approved extension of stay you can reenter this country from another continent without an unexpired J-1 visa stamp in your passport (unless you are Canadian). If your J-1 visa stamp has expired, you will have to apply at a consulate for a new one in order to reenter the United States as a J-1 Visiting Professor or Research Scholar.
To prevent J-1 scholars from coming to the US repeatedly for 3 year periods with no substantial time outside the US, the Department of State has imposed a rule requiring a minimum of 1 year between J-1 programs. The rule is imposed if you were in the US for greater than 6 months as a J-1 researcher or professor. The rule does not apply to J-1's transferring to a different sponsor (within the original 3 year maximum), or to J-1's who were in the US as short term scholars. J-1's who are transferring should be very careful to accomplish the transfer procedure. (See transfer instructions on DS-2019 information handout).
Extension of your permission to stay is your responsibility. If you forget the deadline and apply late, you risk denial. If you are employed and overlook the date, you will be working illegally. Since such mistakes can have serious consequences, you should make certain that you apply well in advance (one month is recommended) if you need to extend your stay.
