CASE: Change of Status / I-539
NATIONALITY: Filipina
LOCATION: Cleveland, OH
Our client is from the Philippines who came to the U.S. on a J-1 exchange visitor visa to work at Holiday Inn as an intern. She consulted with our firm a few weeks before the expiration of her J-1 status. She wanted to continue to stay in the United States for six more months to spend more time here and to travel. We explained to her that CIS has been more stringent on Visitor status change. Upon retention, we prepare a statement based on her plans if her change of status request is granted. We asked her to provide as much detail as possible as we drafted the statement. We made sure all addresses, contact information, and dates on her statement were complete and accurate. We made sure all her plans were supported by corroborating evidence as exhibits to the application to avoid a possible Request for Evidence by the CIS. Our office submitted financial documents from her parents in the Philippines as well. We filed the I-539 Change of Status Application on December 8, 2015 and her B-2 status extension was approved on April 4, 2016 with no Requests for Evidence.