How to Maintain J Status
Please note that the following information is meant to be used only by Florida State University
faculty, staff, students, and potential students of Florida State University and only in the
context of international visits to FSU specifically. It is not intended to be used and should
not be construed as general legal advice.
The International Center is always looking for ways to help ensure that students are aware of the
regulations, constraints, and benefits that accompany the J program. It is very important that
students are aware of some basic rules and requirements in order to avoid falling out of legal
immigration status. Consequences of falling out of J status are particularly severe according
to federal regulations.
Students in J status should remember to do the following:
- Always maintain continuous insurance coverage for themselves and their J-2 dependents*;
- Always obtain written employment authorization from the International Center for all employment and internships*;
- Always report address changes to the IC within 10 days of move*;
- Always maintain a full course of study (see below)*;
- Always actively pursue and make progress toward the specific activity listed on the DS-2019 form*;
- Always request extensions of program prior to end date on DS-2019 form;
- Always be sure to travel with proper documentation;
- Always have a passport valid for 6 months into the future; and
- Always follow sponsor and federal rules and regulations*
Students in J status should also:
- Never engage in criminal activities*;
- Never engage in activities which violate the academic honor code (i.e. plagiarism)*;
- Never engage in employment which cannot be authorized*; and
- Not stay beyond the end of their program of study or authorized Academic Training, regardless of the end date listed on the DS-2019 form.
These are violations for which federal law requires the International Center to terminate a student's immigration record. Termination in the J program does not allow for reinstatement of one's record, requires the student and all dependents to exit the U.S. immediately, and may negatively affect other applications for visas. In this way, one's financial support may be adversely affected and the student could incur substantial debt to their financial supporter, as the student would not be able to complete the program for which they received funding.
Full course of study is defined in FSU's "General Bulletin". For immigration reporting, Office of the Dean of Graduate Studies office and the Graduate Studies and Graduate Policy Committee allows the exceptions in the chart below.
Please note that these are the minimum hours for immigration purposes. Your department may require more hours for you to complete your degree, to comply with their degree requirements, to comply with the graduate residency requirement, or for you to be eligible for a tuition waiver. You should always take at least the minimum number of hours described below AND additional hours as your department and the university requires. The majority of your course hours should be in your specific field of study and in the appropriate degree level in order to ensure that you are making sufficient progress toward your degree, as required by federal law.
The following is considered a full course of study for immigration purposes:
| Undergraduate |
|
| Master's |
|
| Doctorate |
|
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Summer enrollment is generally not required, unless it is your first term at FSU, your last term at FSU, or your department requires it. The International Center does not allow students to both study full-time and work full-time during the summer break. Studying part-time and working full-time, and vice versa is acceptable. For this reason, you may want to know the definition of full-time summer enrollment:
Summer full-time course load is:
Sessions A,D,E, or F - 9 hours
Sessions B or C - 6 hours
Any combination of semesters - 9 hours
Reduced course load can be approved by the International Center with a recommendation from a student's academic advisor for the following reasons:
- Bona fide academic reason;
- Medical reason, as documented by a medical doctor; or
- Final term.
Reduced Course Load forms are on our web site. Remember to get all class drops, cancellations of enrollment, and withdrawals from the university approved in advance from the International Center. These could seriously affect one's immigration status. For more information, see Withdrawals/Cancellations.
The most important thing to remember in maintaining J status is that a student must always be actively pursuing their original program objective and making satisfactory progress in order to remain in a J program. If they are not, the student's program should be ended in the SEVIS program. There is generally no negative consequence to ending the SEVIS record, other than the 30 day grace period begins, and students must make arrangements to return home in that time (change of status actions should generally be started before the grace period and may be complicated by the two-year rule).
Some situations to remember which could involve ending the J program are:
- Students in J status cannot normally change their major;
- Students in J status cannot drop to a lower degree level;
- Students in J status cannot have a gap between completing a degree in Spring and starting a higher degree level in the Fall;
- Students doing data collection outside the U.S. must either enroll full-time or provide the International Center a recommendation from their academic advisor for the bona fide academic reason they are underenrolled;
- Students enrolling in additional certificate or degree programs must continue to make satisfactory progress toward their original degree and may be asked for verification of this from their academic department;
- Once all degree requirements are completed, the student's J program is completed and the 30 day grace period begins, unless post-completion Academic Training is approved; and
- Graduated students must be actively engaged and/or employed in Academic Training at all times in order to remain in the J program.
For more information on maintaining status, for program specific issues or concerns, or individual issues of concern relating to one's status, please schedule an appointment with the Exchange Visitor Advisor at the IC or come during walk-in hours for quick questions related to the above.
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