Exchange Visitor Program (J-Visa) Termination, Extension & Reinstatement Rule

Current understanding

The State Department has proposed revisions to 22 CFR governing the J-visa Exchange Visitor Program, clarifying when sponsors must terminate a participant’s program, authorizing discretionary Department-initiated terminations in limited cases, and fully rewriting extension and reinstatement procedures to align with current SEVIS functionality. The proposal also codifies definitions of ‘unauthorized employment’ and ‘valid program status’ and rescinds the standalone au pair extension provision. For sponsoring institutions and exchange visitors, this changes the compliance triggers for termination, the procedural pathway for extensions/reinstatements, and removes an outdated au-pair-specific rule.

Evidence log

• 2026-07-30 — Exchange Visitor Program-Termination of Program Participation, Extension of Program and Reinstatement to Valid Program Status: cross-connection with hr2204-sevis-terrorist-endorsement-reporting: Both proposals modify how SEVIS is used to track and manage international students/exchange visitors — one by expanding institutional reporting duties for F-1/J students, the other by aligning termination/extension/reinstatement procedures to current SEVIS functionality. (novelty: 2)

Open questions

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