I am currently on F1 OPT and want to apply J1. I had thought that once the DS-2019 form is issued by International Office, my J1 status is effective. But our IO told me that I have to either apply for “change of status” using I-539 while staying in US or leave the country and reenter to have a new J1 status. Is that true?
I planned two months in advance to apply for J1 which I thought is enough. But if our IO is correct, that takes longer time than I thought. Does anyone have any idea about it? Thanks for any response