Asking for advise
Hey Guys,
Quick question for anyone who’s navigated this:
I applied for a Conrad 30 spot in a busy state and got denied, so I pivoted to fellowship and luckily matched somewhere.
The issue: my fellowship start date is 08/01/26, but my current DS-2019 expires 06/30/26. This is the end of my 6th year, and the fellowship would put me into year 7 on J1.
I know legally I can stay for 30 days after my J1 expires (grace period), but that still leaves a gap before my 08/01 start date.
I’ve been told by ECFMG that my options are either:
Get the new program to adjust my contract start date, or
Ask my current program to extend my completion date
Has anyone been through this gap situation before? Would really appreciate hearing how you handled it.
Thanks in advance!