Must know J-1 visa grace period for exchange students

Are you international exchange students who are planning to study or currently studying in U.S. colleges and universities? If so, let me ask you important visa questions: Do you know how long is the grace period for J-1 visa holders? Do you know when is the latest date that you can stay in the United States?

International exchange students come to the United States for a short time of period to share their cultures and “increase mutual understanding between Americans and people of other countries.”

When exchange students are successfully nominated and accepted into American colleges and universities, they are mostly given immigration document DS-2019, which can be used to schedule the J-1 visa interview. (If you were given Form I-20 which is for an F-1 visa, click the following related blog post to learn more about the grace period for F-1 visa holders.)

Related blog post: My F-1 visa grace period ends soon, what are my options?

After obtaining the visa, now it’s time to buy a flight ticket- but how long can you stay in the United States after the semester ends?

Related blog post: The cheapest air flight & Fall 2021 immigration documents

Exchange students reached out to me and said they are worried that they cannot take the final exams as the program end date in DS-2019 is before the final week. They were asking if they can take exams from their home countries.

If you are not aware of how the student visa and the grace period works, you might not be able to make the most out of the study abroad experience which is the one and only opportunity for many university students.

Thus, this blog post will introduce the grace period for J-1 visa holders. Furthermore, it will also touch upon the “Duration of Status” which is an important concept for all international students -including F-1 and J-1 visa holders- to be aware of.

By reading this blog post, you will be able to learn when is the last date that international exchange students can stay in the United States and how a visa works to enter and re-enter the country.

Disclaimer: SEVIS SAVVY delivers information based on the visa/immigration regulations and this is no legal advice by any means. Since institutional policies may vary, getting confirmation from your international student advisor will be helpful to ensure that you comply with institutional policies and processes.

Contents

• Case study scenario
• The answer based on the regulation

Case study scenario

Q: I applied for an exchange program for a semester and I successfully obtained the J-1 student visa. When is the latest date that I can stay in the U.S. with the J-1 exchange student visa?

The answer based on the regulation

One of the most common misconceptions that international students -including F-1 visa and J-1 visa- have is that they need to leave before the visa expiration date.

However, what matters in terms of counting the last date that students can stay in the U.S. is the program end date in the immigration document DS-2019. This is because when students successfully go through immigration, they are given the “D/S” stamp. “D/S” means Duration of Status and it allows visa holders to stay until the program end date plus grace period. To learn more about D/S, click the following related blog posts below.

Related blog post 1: Proposal to eliminate F and J visa duration of status & decrease the grace period
Related blog post 2: How eliminating D/S will impact current students

The bottom line is international exchange students should check when is the program end date in DS-2019. Now let’s move on to the grace period.

Unlike F-1 visa holders who have 60 days grace period, J-1 visa students are given 30 days grace period after the program’s end date. This means that the latest date that J-1 international exchange students can stay in the United States is 30 days after the program end date that is written in the immigration document DS-2019.

This regulation regarding the J-1 students’ grace period can be found on the BridgeUSA webpage. BridgeUSA is the official website for the Exchange Visitor Program (EVP) under the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA). As this is the official and federal webpage, exchange students who are planning to study or studying in the United States can find helpful resources.

You may not arrive more than 30 days before the program start date shown on your DS-2019.  Upon completion of your exchange program, you have a grace period of 30 days to depart the United States.

Common Questions for Participants by BridgeUSA

To sum, exchange students can stay in the United States until the program end date that is written in DS-2019 + 30 days grace period. Most students prefer to travel within the U.S. before they leave the country. What would you like to do?

All other important J-1 visa information and updates can be found on the J-1 visa page.

Related blog post: How to transfer as an exchange student (J to F)