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.

