Changing status from J1 to B2, my successful experience. process and tips!

Hello Dear Au Pairs!!!

well, I started this change of Status exactly 2 months before my J1 extension expired, it was in mid-February when I sent my application to USCIS  (U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services) to change my status from J1 to B2. Guys be aware that you have to demonstrate that you are going to be as a tourist, so you will have to book some hotels,  flights, buses, car or trains as I did to gather enough evidence that I was going to be traveling as a tourist in the US for 6 months! So, said that I attached the documents it says on the official page https://www.uscis.gov/i-539 visit it to read everything you need for the process.

Note: Check this tips for filing form I539 with docs and evidence that must be attached.➡ Click here

FORMS AND DOCS:

1. I-539 Form 

   ➡ 

    Click here  
2. Updated I-94  ➡  Click here
3. Copy of passport
4. Copy J1 visa
5. DS 2019 copies (First and second year)
6. Bank statements (last 3 months,  I recommend you demonstrate more than 2000 usd)
7. Main letter (reasons) Example
8. Travel itinerary Example
9. Evidence to depart USA (Flight ticket OR proof of residence abroad, foreign employment letter, university letter, business in your foreign residence)
• Foreign Employment
• Employment letter. Example
• Studies abroad
• Tuition Payment.
• University admission letter.
• Residence or Business abroad
• Bills under your name.
• pictures of  properties
10. Evidence of Travel
• Hotel bookings. Tips
• Flight, train, bus or car rental tickets. Tips
11. Evidence J1 Maintenance status
•  Letter from the au pair agency. (where the au pair agency confirm that you are active in the program as an au pair. I sent an email requesting for this letter to APIA and I got it at the ne as an au pair (online transferences)
• Proof of wages received as an au pair (online transferences)
• Host family letter. Example

I recommend to make an cover listing all these items, and putting them in order so that the emigration officer can easily find each document. Example

See and Download the docs as example here!

Remember to translate all documents that are not in English into English.

Recommendation: I know you can think this list too long just for a change status, but from my own experience I really recommend to you send all of these since the first time I sent the documents I just sent from item 1 to 8 and one month after I received a letter from USCIS requiring me for more evidence of ties to my foreign country and proof of the trips I had written on the itinerary. Then I had to run to have all the documents ready and send them as soon as possible since my J1 status was about a month to expired.

Tips:

• I booked through booking.com hostels with free cancellation and no- pre payment needed. As shown below
  

• I bought a train ticket from California to New York  (since this ticket is 100% refundable) throught Amtrak app. I paid 455 usd for this ticket and they returned the same price once I canceled 48 hours prior to departure.
• Also I paid for super cheap 1 usd bus tickets between New York and Wasington DC, I bought it through Megabus app. check daily to find good deals, Tuesdays or Wednesdays are the cheapest days to travel.

Fees:

I539 Form: $370 usd

biometric fees: $85 usd 

You have to pay these by checks or money ordes only, no mail cash allowed. payments by credit card must to fill G-1450 that is an authorization for credit card Transactions.

I paid this in the USPS office through a money order, I sent the documents in an envelope that I bought there too. this is another extra fee, the delivery service could be around 25 to 40 usd depending on the type of service you buy,  normal or express delivery.
There is a online filing, you can upload all the documents and send them online, so you won't spend money paying for the shipping. Try it here

Once you submit the application, USCIS sends you back the case number.

Biometrics:

Two weeks after you have been assigned the case number you get the appointment for biometrics, in that document "appointment notice" says the address and time that was assigned for you. You must bring to the appointment:
1. The appoinment notice and
2. Photo Identification (passport, diver's license or national ID).
If you appear without proper identification, you won't be fingerprinted.
At the end they stamp your appointment notice and you should save it just in case. They send your biometric information directly to USCIS, you should not do anything else but wait. You're done!!

Finally...

I got my status approved on May 2nd, I was in Hawaii in my travel month already, my agency didn't know about this and I recommend to you don't let them know because if they know that you are in the process of changing status they won't buy you a return ticket to your country. Then I had my ticket back to Colombia by May 16th in case my status was not approved. Check your case status here

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Guys, I would have liked to have had this help when I did it, maybe I would not have made the mistakes I made and I would have done everything correctly from the first time, that's why I wrote this post with everything you need and I sincerely hope that your change of status be approved too. Ask me anything or tell me your experiences here in the comments!

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