M-2 Spouse or Child of a Vocational Student
M-2 is the derivative status for the spouse and unmarried children under 21 of an M-1 vocational student. It is one of the most restrictive dependent categories: no employment at all, and only limited study for the spouse. Its life is entirely tied to the M-1 principal's fixed and short period of admission.
- Duration
- The same period as the M-1 principal, which is capped at one year per admission and three years cumulatively. M-2 status ends when the M-1's ends.
- Extensions
- M-2 dependants must be included on the M-1's Form I-539 extension application, filed 15 to 60 days before the programme end date. They cannot be extended independently, and cannot be extended for longer than the M-1 principal.
- Work
- No. M-2 dependants may not accept employment in any circumstances. There is no EAD route for M-2.
- Dual intent
- false - M-2 inherits the M-1's requirement of a foreign residence not intended to be abandoned.
- Dependents
- Not applicable. M-2 is itself the derivative classification.
- Path to a green card
- No independent route. An M-2 has to qualify separately through a family or employment sponsor, and the underlying M-1 status offers no bridge. In practice families who intend to settle change to a different classification well before the three-year M-1 ceiling.
- Processing time
- Tracks the M-1 principal's consular interview wait. Extensions are decided with the M-1's Form I-539, which runs months at USCIS unless premium processing at $2,075 is used.
Who qualifies
- Legally married spouse of an M-1 vocational student
- Unmarried minor children of an M-1 vocational student
- Family accompanying the student, or following to join once the student is enrolled full time or in approved practical training
Requirements
- The M-1 principal must be admitted and maintaining M-1 status
- Each dependant needs an individual Form I-20 issued by the SEVP-certified school
- Proof of the qualifying relationship: marriage certificate or birth certificate
- Family following to join must show the M-1 is, or will be within 30 days, enrolled full time or in approved practical training
- No separate I-901 SEVIS fee for M-2 dependants
- Social media profiles set to public for online presence review, since the June 2025 requirement covers M dependants too
How to apply
- 1
Ask the SEVP-certified school to issue an individual Form I-20 for each dependant
- 2
Complete a separate Form DS-160 for each dependant and pay the $185 MRV fee each
- 3
Set social media profiles to public before the interview
- 4
Attend the interview with the dependant Form I-20, the M-1's visa and I-20, and the marriage or birth certificate
- 5
Enter with the M-1 or later; family following to join must show the student is enrolled full time or will be within 30 days
- 6
Enrol M-2 children in elementary or secondary school, which is permitted full time
- 7
Include dependants on any Form I-539 extension the M-1 files
Fees and forms
| MRV nonimmigrant visa application fee, non-petition-based tier | $185 per dependant |
| I-901 SEVIS fee | $0 for M-2 dependants |
| Form I-539 to extend status | Included on the M-1's application at $470 paper or $420 online |
| Form I-907 premium processing on a Form I-539 for M-2 | $2,075 |
What changed in 2025 and 2026
- June 18, 2025: the F, M and J social media vetting requirement applies to dependants as well as principals.
- 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. M visas are named in the partial suspension, which covers M-2 dependants of those nationalities.
- 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.
- 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.
- The July 17, 2026 DHS final rule ending duration of status covers F, J and I. M-2 dependants keep the existing fixed period tied to the M-1 principal.
Where it goes wrong
- Taking any paid work. There is no employment authorisation for M-2 in any form.
- An M-2 spouse enrolling in a full course of study without first changing status to F-1, M-1 or J-1.
- Filing an extension separately from the M-1, which is not permitted.
- Assuming M-2 lasts longer than the M-1's one-year admission or three-year ceiling.
- Family following to join before the M-1 is actually enrolled full time.
- An M-2 child turning 21 with no derivative status left.
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