An end date can support the explanation of the assignment, but it does not decide temporary intent by itself. The actual circumstances and plans matter. You must also establish eligible citizenship, qualifying professional duties and credentials, and prearranged employment; a short project does not waive those requirements.
Explain why the assignment ends when it does
Connect the anticipated duration to the work and expected completion rather than selecting a date solely because it sounds temporary. Identify whether further work is already contemplated and discuss any ambiguity accurately. The purpose is not to predict every future event, but to avoid presenting a fixed-term label that conflicts with the real arrangement.
If your immediate plans raise immigration-intent questions, obtain individualized advice instead of relying on the contract’s expiry clause as a complete answer. An end date supports an account of temporariness rather than establishing it, and the two are easily confused. What gives the date meaning is the explanation behind it: why the work concludes when it does, what deliverable marks the end, and what happens to the person's involvement afterwards.
A date drawn from a contract that the parties expect to roll over indefinitely explains little. A date tied to the completion of a defined scope explains a good deal. Prepare that explanation in the same terms the project itself uses.
Remember also that the end date addresses only one element; the profession must be a listed one, the credential must match what that profession requires, the employment must be prearranged with an identified U.S. employer, and self-employment is not permitted whatever the project's duration.