I am working in USA with the J1 visa as Postdoctoral Fellow. In April 2017 my girlfriend tried to come to USA and she was refused under the section 212a, because she told to the TSA agent that they did not have a serious relationship with anybody in USA, and they found out that she had sentimental links to me checking her phone, we were in bad moment in our relationship by that time. She has double nationality Venezuelan/Italian and she was trying to get in USA with the Italian ESTA. They removed her ESTA for ever and they told her that If she wan to enter in USA she is going to need a visa. Then I got married with her trying to get a J2 visa for her but the consulate denied twice her application under the article 214b, one in August ( after got married in Venezuela, and the other one now in December (on December we went together because I had to renew mine, but not success for her one).
Anyone who attempts to gain any immigration benefits, including visas, through perceived fraud or misrepresentation is permanently barred from entering the USA. In cases like this, you can try to revisit these findings with the consulate, but these are long, drawn out battles and difficult to win. Temporary visits may be possible with something called a 212 (d) (3) waiver.
I want to pursue MS Degree from US and presently I am living in the US on J-2 visa. My wife is working as a Post doctoral Fellow here on J-1 visa. We both are subject to two years Home Residency Requirement.
My concern is that how can I change my visa status from J-2 to F-1. Do I need to get a waiver before applying -F1 visa?
See clip from Attorney Rajiv S. Khanna's conference call video that addresses this question.
https://youtu.be/ZvUVIGTM-Kk?t=520
FAQ Transcript:
Answer is yes. They can't convert within the United States, but they can go outside of USA and try to get F-1 stamped and come back. That does not get rid of two year residency visa. However, remember two year residency visa requirement only says this: if you have J-1 or a J-2 which is subject to the 212 (e) HRR, you cannot convert to H, L or Green Card, but you can if you want to change to F-1 visa but not within the United States as far as I remember. It does not allow the change of status also. So you can always get a visa stamping done and you can do it without the waiver, F-1 does not require waiver. However if down the line you decide to convert to H-1, your J-1 holding spouse either must have received the waiver or a home residency a fulfillment of 2 year residence abroad to the home country.
My wife is working here in the US on J-1 visa as a Post Doctoral Fellow and She is subject to 2HRR requirement.I came to United States last year on J-2 visa from India and after few month I applied and got the EAD card and now I am also working for XYZ IT company here in the USA and I am subject to two HRR requirement as well. My employer wants to file H-1B visa for me but my wife does not have an offer for H-1B visa so in that case Can I (J-2 visa holder) file a waiver petition independently of the J-1 Principal?
See clip from Attorney Rajiv S. Khanna's conference call video that addresses this question.
https://youtu.be/XAfykYM-cUQ?t=89
FAQ Transcript:
The question asked is can a J-2 holder obtain a waiver of the Home Residency requirement without the J-1 holder being involved and the answer is, the last time I looked into this issue it is a "No". The exemption was if there was some sort of impossibility associated with the J-1 holder conferring the benefits of a waiver for instance if they were divorced or there was a death of the J-1 spouse. In those cases certainly this was a possiblity. But otherwise you cannot as a J-2 holder obtain a waiver by yourself. Your disqualification for the Home Residency requirement came into being because of the J-1 holders status. So the theroy of the law is that J-1 holder must apply for a waiver.
Can a J-2 dependent (Canadian citizen) change to other working visa or have to change to H-4 when J-1 gets waiver and moves to H-1. Basically any hope for a spouse on J-2 to get work authorization (TN/H-1/investor visa) before the 3 year waiver is complete?
Yes, the J-2 can, UNLESS the J-1 holder is a physician serving the three years for J-1 waiver.
Am I allowed to apply for TN status while EAD is pending. E.g Based on my new DS2019, I apply for EAD in May/14 for authorization beginning Jul1/14-Jun30/15. Now I get an offer letter. In Jun/14, can I apply for TN status at the border or for COS with I-129 with USCIS?
Check with USCIS customer service, but my guess is if you travel outside the US while the EAD is pending, the EAD application is abandoned and would have to be refiled. The only reason I have some doubt that I am correct is because J-2 work authorization is a granted right, legally called "incidental to status.
I will have a J-1 visa when I come to the US, can my spouse on J-2 start a sole proprietorship as consultant? Would he have to get the EAD first? He will work for the same company as he works for now, only as a consultant.
Under the law (8CFR 21A.2(j)(1) (v) (A)), a J-2 holder may use the earnings to support the J-1 visa holder. The earnings must be used for the “Family's customary recreational and cultural activities and those related travel.”
Let’s say that a J-2 visa holder enters the United States as a derivative of a J-1 principal who is subject to the two-year home residency requirement of INA 212(e). Without leaving the United States, she later changes status from J-2 to J-1. The J-1 program in which she participates as the principal is also subject to INA 212(e). Thus, the person is independently subject to INA 212(e) based on two separate programs – her husband’s (as a J-2 derivative) and her own (as a J-1 principal). Please confirm that this person may file a single DS-3035 form that includes all DS-2019s from both programs and receive a single waiver covering both programs.
In this situation, the applicant’s J-1 waiver does not cover her period in J-2 status. 9 FAM 41.62 states that if an alien is subject to the two-year foreign residence requirement, the spouse and child of that alien are also subject to that requirement. Thus, the individual you have described would need a separate waiver to cover the time that she spent in J-2 status that subjected her to the two-year home residency requirement.Two separate DS-3035 applications would therefore be required in this circumstance.
I am a Canadian with J2 visa. I am an engineer and want to work in US to keep up with my career. I am going to apply for EAD. If I don't get, can I switch from J2 to TN. Can my kids still stay on J2?
You can switch back to TN from J-2. What you do has no effect on the children. They derive their status directly from your J-1 spouse.
Can I use my J-2 visa for internship and work after completion of FPGEE?
J-2 holders can get work authorization and work as per the licensing requirements of their profession.
I am Canadian citizen & currently working on TN visa. My spouse is on J1 visa. I want to switch to J2 and get EAD. After couple of years he will apply for waiver and will move to H1. I believe I will be switched to H2 automatically as his dependant and my EAD will be void. Will that be possible at that time that I can switch back to my TN status?
You can switch back to TN. To correct slightly, you do not automatically get switched to an H-4 (not H-2).
My spouse is J-1 and is in US and I want to apply for J-2 to enter US. But 10years back I was denied entry in US on my B1/B2 Visa with I-275 executed stamp on my passport because in my last stay in US I attended college for a semester on B1/B2 visa. So I need to ask are there chances that I will get a J-2 visa to join my spouse?
It is entirely in the discretion of the consular officer whether or not to give you a J-2 visa. Impossible to predict.