Skip to main content
Office of International Services

J-1 Changes & Extensions

Any changes made to a Scholar’s program must be reported to OIS. Most of these changes will be reported by the host department. A few examples of these changes are: a change in site of activity, a change in pay, a change in pay status, a change supervisor. On this page, you will find more information about program extensions, program transfers and what to do when completing the program early.

Program Extension

The duration of the Exchange Visitor’s program is stated in item 3 of the Form DS-2019.  If necessary, in order for the Exchange Visitor to meet his or her program goals this end date can be extended by OIS to the limit allowed by law for the Scholar’s particular J-1 category (up to five years for persons in the Research Scholar or Professor categories; up to six months for persons in the Short Term Scholar category). To request an extension, the Scholar must begin the process with his or her host department, which will submit to OIS the DS-2019 extension request on behalf of the scholar. The extension process should be started at least one month prior to expiration of the original DS-2019.

Program Transfer

A J-1 Scholar may transfer from one program sponsor to another if the purpose of the transfer is to complete the Exchange Visitor objective for which he or she was admitted. The transfer process requires coordination between the OIS of the current J-1 program and the OIS (or equivalent) of the new J-1 program.

To transfer to NC State University the Scholar must:

  • Contact his or her current university’s international office to obtain procedures and forms which must be completed to approve and schedule the “transfer out” of the SEVIS DS-2019 record.
  • Provide copies of the DS-2019 forms to the NC State department which is sponsoring him or her and request that the department submit a DS-2019 Request Form to OIS on his or her behalf.
  • Maintain his or her Exchange Visitor status at the current J-1 program sponsor until the transfer effective date.
  • Obtain the new DS-2019 from the NC State OIS and attend a Scholar check-in within 30 days after the transfer date.

To transfer out of NC State University the Scholar must:

  • Complete a J-1 Scholar Transfer-Out Form and submit it to OIS prior to expiration of the current DS-2019, and prior to beginning at the new program.
  • Maintain his or her Exchange Visitor status at NC State until the effective date of transfer.
  • Report to the international office at the new Exchange Visitor program sponsor to collect the new DS-2019 within 30 days after the effective date of transfer.

Early Completion of Program

If the Exchange Visitor completes his or her program early – more than 30 days prior to the expiration on the DS-2019, the Exchange Visitor must notify OIS of the early completion in order to receive an updated DS-2019 reflecting the change in the DS-2019 end date. Additionally, the Scholar must keep in mind that program completion is determined by the expiration of the DS-2019, or completion of program objectives, whichever occurs first. The Exchange Visitor should inform OIS of his or her program completion and departure plans using the OIS Departure Form.