How to Legally Extend a Stay for J1

[tylerjones]

I have a friend who entered the United States legally with a J-1 visa no two year residency required. They want to stay legally here in the United States. We were wondering what other visas could they apply for to legally extend or stay here permanently. We spoke to an attorney and he suggested to fill out an I-539 to extend or "switch" their visa. Then from there they could apply for either an F-1 (they've started the process and already have her I-20), J-1 extension, or an H1-B (if they're lucky enough), the last resort for them is marriage. They have a partner here, they've been dating for over a year in a half, but their partner doesn't want to get married yet. They live in the State of California if that helps any. Hopefully there are other legal options to stay besides the F-1, J-1 extension, H1-B or marriage options.

[Mr. Knowitall]

A different friend? Have your friends start posting their own questions so that we can obtain necessary additional information from them.

If they are subject to the two year HRR, they can only presently qualify for a nonimmigrant visa (such as F1) and cannot change their status within the U.S. (unless they get a waiver).

We have no information about this person or what immigration status they might be eligible to receive.

We are not in a position to second-guess this person's immigration lawyer.