Law Offices of Mitch Berenson

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(12) Changes in Earliest Issuance and Admission Dates for F, M and J Visas

  1. As one of the elements of the recently announced Rice-Chertoff joint vision, persons applying for initial-entry F-1, F-2 and M-1 and M-2 visas may now be issued these visas up to 120 days before the program start date as listed on their I-20s.
  2. These changes apply only to initial-entry students. Continuing students may apply for new F or M visas at any time, as long as they have been maintaining student status and their SEVIS records are current. Continuing students may also enter the United States at any time before their classes start.
  3. Officers may issue J-1 and J-2 visas to exchange visitors, however, at any time before the beginning of their programs.


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