J-2 Spouse or Child of an Exchange Visitor
J-2 is the derivative status for the spouse and unmarried children under 21 of a J-1 exchange visitor. It is one of the few dependent categories whose spouse can apply for open-market work authorisation. J-2 status is entirely tied to the J-1 principal, including the two-year home residence requirement, which passes down to dependants.
- Срок
- The same period as the J-1 principal, as stated on the dependant's own DS-2019, and ending when the J-1's ends plus the same 30-day grace period. From Sept. 15, 2026 the same fixed-period rule applies, so J-2 admission also runs to the programme end date capped at four years.
- Продление
- Handled by the sponsor extending the dependant's DS-2019 alongside the J-1's. Where the fixed four-year admission cap is reached, dependants must be included on the principal's Form I-539 extension of stay or depart and be re-admitted. Employment authorisation is renewed separately on a new Form I-765.
- Работа
- The J-2 spouse may apply to USCIS on Form I-765 under category (c)(5) for an EAD and may then work for any employer. The statutory condition is that the income is not needed to support the J-1 principal. J-2 children may not work. Work must not begin until the EAD is approved and in hand.
- Двойное намерение
- false - J-2 inherits the J-1's single intent, and inherits the 212(e) two-year home residence requirement whenever the principal is subject to it.
- Члены семьи
- Not applicable. J-2 is itself the dependent classification and cannot carry further derivatives.
- Путь к грин-карте
- No independent route. A J-2 subject to 212(e) through the principal must serve the two years abroad or obtain a waiver before adjusting status or receiving an immigrant visa. A J-2 who separately qualifies, through their own employer or a family petition, still has to clear 212(e) first.
- Срок рассмотрения
- Visa issuance tracks the J-1's interview wait. Form I-765 for a J-2 spouse has generally run several months at USCIS with no premium processing available, which is the single most common source of delay for J-2 families.
Кто подходит
- Legally married spouse of a J-1 exchange visitor, including same-sex spouses
- Unmarried children under 21 of a J-1 exchange visitor
- Only where the J-1's programme category permits dependants; several categories, including summer work travel and some au pair placements, do not
Требования
- The J-1 principal must be in valid status
- Each dependant needs their own Form DS-2019 issued by the same sponsor
- Proof of the qualifying relationship, meaning a marriage certificate or birth certificate
- Insurance meeting the sponsor's requirements
- No separate I-901 SEVIS fee is due for J-2 dependants
- A copy of the J-1's visa when applying at a later date
- Social media profiles set to public, since the June 2025 vetting requirement covers J-2 as well as J-1
Как подать
- 1
Ask the J-1's sponsor to issue a separate DS-2019 for each dependant
- 2
Complete a separate Form DS-160 for each dependant and pay the MRV fee unless exempt
- 3
Set social media profiles to public before the interview
- 4
Book interviews at the same post, bringing marriage or birth certificates and a copy of the J-1's visa and DS-2019
- 5
Enter with the J-1 or later, presenting the dependant DS-2019
- 6
For a working spouse, file Form I-765 under category (c)(5) with the DS-2019, I-94 and a statement that the income is not needed to support the J-1
- 7
Wait for the EAD card before starting any job
- 8
Renew the EAD well before expiry, since it cannot run past the DS-2019 end date
Сборы и формы
| MRV nonimmigrant visa application fee | $185; waived where the J-1 principal is in a US government sponsored programme |
| I-901 SEVIS fee | $0 for J-2 dependants |
| Form I-765 for J-2 spouse employment authorisation | $520 paper, $470 online |
| Form I-539 to extend or change status inside the United States | $470 paper, $420 online |
| Form I-907 premium processing on a J-2 Form I-539 | $2,075 |
| Form DS-3035 application for a 212(e) waiver | $120 |
Что изменилось в 2025 и 2026 годах
- June 18, 2025: the F, M and J social media vetting requirement applies to J-2 dependants as well as principals, so dependants must also set profiles to public.
- Sept. 15, 2026: DHS ends duration of status for F, J and I nonimmigrants. The final rule published July 17, 2026 (FR doc 2026-14439) replaces D/S with a fixed admission period. F and J are admitted to the SEVIS programme end date, capped at four years, plus 30 days to depart, and the F-1 post-completion grace period drops from 60 days to 30. I nonimmigrants are admitted for the time needed to complete the assignment, capped at 240 days, or 90 days for holders of a PRC passport other than Hong Kong SAR and Macau SAR. Extensions require Form I-539 with USCIS or departure and re-admission. F and J holders already in valid D/S on Sept. 15, 2026 keep their programme end date, capped at four years from the effective date. As of Sept. 5, 2026 the rule has published but is not yet in force.
- Jan. 1, 2026: Presidential Proclamation 10998, signed Dec. 16, 2025, took effect at 12:01 a.m. EST and replaced Proclamation 10949 (signed June 4, 2025, effective June 9, 2025). It fully suspends visa issuance to nationals of 19 countries - Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, Burma, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Laos, Libya, Mali, Niger, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria and Yemen - plus holders of Palestinian Authority travel documents, across every nonimmigrant and immigrant category. It only reaches people who were outside the United States and held no valid visa at 12:01 a.m. EST on Jan. 1, 2026; no earlier-issued visa was revoked under it.
- Jan. 1, 2026: PP 10998 also partially suspends issuance for nationals of 19 further countries - Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Burundi, Cote d'Ivoire, Cuba, Dominica, Gabon, The Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Togo, Tonga, Venezuela, Zambia and Zimbabwe - but only for B-1, B-2, F, M and J visas plus all immigrant visas. Turkmenistan is suspended for immigrant visas only. H, L, O, P, E, TN, I, R and the other work categories are not inside the partial suspension. PP 10998 also removed the PP 10949 carve-outs for immediate relative immigrant visas, adoption visas and Afghan special immigrant visas. J visas are named in the partial suspension, which covers J-2 dependants of the affected nationalities.
- Oct. 1, 2025: the interview waiver rollback announced Sept. 18, 2025 took effect and superseded the July 25, 2025 guidance. Almost every nonimmigrant applicant now needs an in-person interview. The standing carve-outs are A-1, A-2, C-3 other than personal staff, G-1 through G-4, NATO-1 through NATO-6, TECRO E-1, diplomatic and official visas, and 12-month renewals of B-1/B-2, Mexican border crossing cards and H-2A. Waiver-eligible applicants must also apply in their country of nationality or residence, must never have been refused a visa unless overcome or waived, and must have no apparent ineligibility. The old under-14 and over-79 age exemptions were abolished. No further update has issued as of September 2026.
- July 15, 2026: State told nonimmigrant applicants to interview in their country of nationality or residence, or at the designated processing post if their country has no routine operations. Applying elsewhere is allowed but harder to qualify, the MRV fee is non-refundable and non-transferable, and waits are much longer. A, G, C-2, C-3, NATO and diplomatic applicants are exempt.
- July 4, 2025: Public Law 119-21 added non-waivable immigration surcharges on top of normal filing fees. The ones that touch nonimmigrants are the Form I-94 fee, held at $24 for FY 2026, the parole fee, adjusted to $1,020 for FY 2026, parolee EAD surcharges of $560 initial and $280 renewal, and a statutory visa integrity fee of at least $250 on nonimmigrant visa issuance. The $250 visa integrity fee is enacted but unverified as collected: it appears nowhere on the State Department fee schedule as of September 2026 and no implementing rule has published.
- Form I-765 fees under the current USCIS schedule, Form G-1055 edition 05/29/26, are $520 on paper and $470 online for the general filing category that covers J-2 spouses.
Где чаще всего ошибаются
- Starting work before the I-765 EAD is approved. There is no work-incident-to-status rule for J-2 as there is for L-2 or E spouses.
- Forgetting that 212(e) attaches to dependants too, which blocks a J-2's own change of status or adjustment.
- Assuming every J-1 category allows dependants. Several do not.
- Letting the EAD lapse. It cannot be issued beyond the DS-2019 end date, so late renewals create gaps.
- A J-2 child turning 21 or marrying ages out of status with no automatic alternative.
- A J-2 spouse who wants a full degree is usually better off changing to F-1 than studying on J-2.
- From Sept. 15, 2026 the four-year cap applies to the whole family, so a long research posting now needs a planned extension strategy.
Также в категории Exchange visitor
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