thanks for the info! lana! by the way, did the visa officer ask about the J1 2-year requirement in your F1 interview? and did you keep your I-94 when going to mexico? when you were back from mexico to US, did you use your old I-94 and DS2019 (previously known as IAP-66) as an auto revalidation process, or did you use the first of the two entries in your new F1 visa? looking forward to hearing from you. thanks!