Reinstatement of Status

J-1 students who have not followed Department of State regulations are considered out of status. They may be able to regain status by one of two methods.

1. TRAVEL & RE-ENTRY with initial attendance DS-2019
The J-1 student may elect to leave the U.S. and then re-enter with a new Initial Attendance DS-2019. Re-entry with this DS-2019 will allow the student to re-establish her/his J-1 standing. However, until the student has maintained status for 9 months from the time of re-entry, the student will not be eligible for off-campus employment. To obtain a new DS-2019 for the TRAVEL option, you must submit the request for a DS-2019 form along with proof of financial support.

2. APPLY FOR REINSTATEMENT TO J-1 STATUS
If the student does not wish to travel, then she/he may apply to the U.S. Department of State for reinstatement to student status. Reinstatement is possible only if the student:

  • Can establish that the violation of status resulted from circumstances beyond the student's control or the violation relates to an administrative delay or oversight, inadvertence, or excusable neglect on the part of the Responsible Officer (RO); or, that it would be an unusual hardship to the student if the DOS does not grant the reinstatement.
  • Is currently pursuing, or intending to pursue, a full course of study at the school which issued the Form DS-2019
  • Has not been out of status for more than 270 days at time of filing request (unless student provides substantial reasons for delay)

REINSTATEMENT APPLICATION PACKET
If the student decides to proceed with the reinstatement option, then s/he should gather the following for the application packet:

  • Check for $300 made out to the U.S. Department of State.

Make photocopies of the letter and check in the application packet for your records. The University of Maryland will submit the request via SEVIS.

NOTIFICATION OF Department of State DECISION
If the reinstatement request is approved by the Department of State, the RO will be notified through SEVIS. A new DS-2019 is printed by the RO and given to the student after the approval notice is received. The new DS-2019 will have an effective date from the date reinstatement was requested, so it may reflect a gap in valid program status.