Travel on B-2 and then re-enter on J-1

[chebi]

Dear all,

I have been issued a J-1 visa to start my postdoctoral position at one of the universities in the US. Fortunately, I managed to finish my PhD a little bit earlier and I would love to go to USA and Canada to solely travel prior to the start date which in my case is the beginning of January (I am aware of the 30 day grace period). I wonder if I could enter the US on the valid B-2 visa (already issued) perhaps in November and then go to Canada for about 7-14 days and then re-enter on the J-1 visa. Has anyone run into the same problem? If possible, do I need to purchase a return ticket or any other ticket showing that I will leave the US e.g. to Canada? I was originally planning to rent a car and drive around both countries but I am not sure if I need a return flight. My appointment at the university is for over a year thus I would prefer to wait to purchase my flight back.

Any help and suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

Thank you!

[zcrawford]

I have this same question!

Hi - I have this exact same question. My J1 visa starts on the 13th June, but I have a couple of events I really want to go to at the end of April (already booked). My sponsor program told me I should look up getting a B2 visa, then leaving the country (Canada/Mexico) & re-entering on the J1 visa, but I can't find any definitive information about this. I even emailed the US Consulate & they said there was no way to enter early apart from coming in on a B2 visa & applying to change your visa status once in the US, which they strongly recommend against. They didn't mention leaving & re-entering.

Does it work to leave the US for a week then come back in on your new status? I need to work out some way to get there early!