2-year Home Country Residence Requirement

Your DS-2019 or your J-1 visa will indicate whether or not the 2-year home residency rule applies to you. The 2-year home country physical presence requirement is also explained on the reverse side of the DS-2019 form. 

You may be subject if:

• You receive any funding (including nominal travel grants) from your home government or if you are named in a U.S. government grant or fellowship specifically designed for exchange.
• Trained personnel in your field are identified by your home government as being in short supply and your field has consequently been included on the U.S. government's “Exchange Visitor's Skills List.”
• If your J status is sponsored by the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates.

At the end of your J-1 program, you will have to go home (your home country or your last place of residence) and reside there for an aggregate of 2 years. 

The effects of the 2-year rule are:

• You will not be eligible for an immigrant visa or adjustment of status to lawful permanent resident.
• You are not eligible for work visas such as the H, L or even a K (fiance visa). 
• You are not eligible to change your status to another nonimmigrant visa within the U.S.(except A (diplomatic), G (international organization) or U (victim of qualifying criminal activity)). 

Yes. A petition for a waiver must be initiated online on the Department of State's website. If you need more information, please contact your international student adviser or visit the Travel.State.gov website.

Reasons for a waiver:

• Statement from the exchange visitor's home country that it has no objection to the waiver 
• Request for waiver made by an interested U.S. government agency
• Interest of a state agency (only for alien physicians)
• Exceptional hardship to the U.S. citizen or permanent resident spouse or child of the exchange visitor 
• Fear of persecution on account of race, religion, or political opinion