Change of visa status from J1 to F2

[ChakravarathyG]

I am Chakravarthy. I would need some suggestions regarding the change of status from J1 to F2 for my wife, copied here.

Initially, she came to the US on an F2 visa, later applied for a postdoc at University, and joined on a J1 visa (wen to India for stamping). Due to the Covid situation, she did not receive an extension from working in the lab. So, she would like to change her visa status back to F2.

On another note, I came to know from my University that her F2 status is active as I haven't informed about the change of her status from F2 to J1, which I didn't know at that time. My question is, can she change her status from J1 to F2 by staying in the US as her F2 visa page says it is valid till 2022. Your suggestion and help in this regard are most appreciated.

[flyingron]

The first question is whether she is subject to the Home Residency Requirement. I suspect her prior F-2 is not valid anymore. She can AOS back to the F2 if she's not subject to the HRR and she is fine unless she wants to leave the US in the interim. If she is subject to the HRR, she better be talking to an attorney. A waiver *might* be possible.

[charlly]

Hey Chakravarthy, I hope you have got the all necessary information that you need to know. You can now start the paper works to change the visa status from J1 to F2. We want to know about your current visa status.