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What am I to do now that my I - 539 ( CoS ) is approved ?
Anonymous5 views4 answers
My I - 539 application for change of status from J - 1 to B - 2 has been approved ( according to my ELIS profile ) , two weeks ago . I am still in the States , and am leaving on Saturday , as planned and noted in my application , but , I still haven't received any formal notice from USCIS in the mail . My questions are : 1 ) What will the notice contain , and will I need any of the documents therein when leaving the country ? 2 ) If it doesn't arrive before my departure , can they send it to my home address , outside the US of A ? 3 ) I read somewhere that I will have to go to the embassy in my home country to be given a brand new B - 2 visa upon my arrival home , since my application was approved . Is this true ? And , if so , will the validity of said visa be the standard 10 years ?
If USCIS has approved your application for a change of status then your B-2 Approval Notice should also have your new I-94 Arrival/Departure card. USCIS will send the original approval notice to the U.S. address you have provided in your I-539 application via regular mail - it will not be mailed to your residential address in your home country. The I-94 card is a proof of your valid status - it is not a visa. You will to apply for a new B-2 visa at a U.S. consulate in your home country and should have your original approval notice (I-797) as proof that your "change of status" was approved while your were in the U.S.
Alexander Joseph SegalImmigration AttorneyNew York, NYNY licensed ·
Print out the approval notice from the USCIS.com/status check page and keep it for your records. You will have NO problems leaving the country. You may however, have problems coming back so keep that print out for further reference and take it with you to your next visa interview or trip to the USA depending on whether you need a visa to do that.
A change of status allows you to stay in the U.S. until the I-94 expires. If you leave the U.S, you need to apply at the consulate for the visa. USCIS will not send you the approval notice to your address outside the country since you asked for a "change of status."
Unknown if the B2 visa will be for 10 years. You do not provide your country of residence. Other factors come into play as well.
An approved change of status allows you to stay in the U.S. and pursue the activity allowed by that status, but it is not the same as having a visa in your passport. If you leave the U.S. after receiving approval from USCIS for a change of status, you must apply for a visa for your current status before returning to the U.S.
