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Orientation Handbook for J-1 Exchange Visitors to Stanford University

Coming to Stanford as a J-1 Exchange Visitor

This section is designed to provide visa information to international scholars who have been invited to Stanford University for teaching or research as J-1 Exchange Visitors.

The form DS-2019 is your certificate of eligibility for J-1 status at Stanford University. These instructions explain the steps to take to arrange that status properly.

    • If you are not yet in the United States, Part I will tell you how to enter the country in J-1 status.
    • If you are already in the United States as a J-1 scholar affiliated with another school, and if that school issued your current Form DS-2019, then Part II will tell you how to transfer your J-1 sponsorship from that school to this one. But if you hold J-1 documents from an agency, such as LASPAU or the Fulbright Commission, these instructions do not apply to you, and you should consult that agency's J-1 Responsible Officer about changing schools.
    • If you are already in the United States as an Exchange Visitor in a category other than Professor, Research Scholar, Short Term Scholar or Specialist (see item #4 on your current Form DS-2019), there may be restrictions to your continuing your research at Stanford in J status. You should provide details of your current J status to the Stanford department administrator and ask him/her to contact the Foreign Scholar Services office to discuss this. Please note that you may not change categories, ie. from J-1 "Research Scholar" to J-1 "Student." or from "Short Term Scholar" to "Research Scholar." Please also note that your period of stay in the United States is cumulative and that you are restricted to the period of time allowed to your category for the duration of your J-1 program in the United States.
    • If you are in the U.S. and hold a status other than J-1, please inform your Stanford department administrator and ask the administrator to contact the Foreign Scholar Services office about this.

     

Categories of J-1 Exchange Visitors to Stanford University

  • "Professor and Research Scholar" categories
    The total stay in the United States for Exchange Visitors in the "Professor" and "Research Scholar" category is limited to five years.
  • "Short-term Scholar" category
    The total stay in the United States for Exchange Visitors in the "Short Term Scholar" category is currently limited to six months. No extension beyond this time limit is possible.

The home-country physical-presence requirement [INA 212(e)]

The purpose of the requirement is to have the home country benefit from the Exchange Visitor's experience in the United States. Exchange Visitors come to this country for a specific objective, such as a program of study or a research project. Not all Exchange Visitors are subject to the requirement, which is intended to prevent a participant who is subject from staying longer than necessary for the objective, and to ensure that he or she will spend at least two years in the home country before coming back to the United States for a long -term stay. For the terms of the requirement please see item 1 (a) on the back of Form DS-2019. If you have questions about the requirement, please raise them with the Consular Officer when you apply for your visa.

 

PART I. IF YOU ARE NOT YET IN THE UNITED STATES–

Visa stamp

To enter the United States as a J-1 Exchange Visitor under Stanford's sponsorship, you must have a valid J-1 visa stamp in your passport.  Please follow the instructions below:

1. Once you receive your DS-2019 form, make an appointment with your local US consulate or embassy. 

  • The Visa Officer may ask you to document funding that does not come directly from the University (with such items as a letter of award or support, a bank statement, proof of income, etc.).
  • If your dependents will be accompanying you, they will need J-2 visas (separate DS-2019s must be issued for them to apply for the J-2 visas). You should take their passports and the DS-2019s that have been issued with you to the consulate and be prepared to show proof of marriage to your spouse and parenthood of each child.
  • Canadian citizens do not require a visa stamp.

2. Most initial J-1 visa applications now require pre-payment of a SEVIS fee in addition to the visa fee. 

3. After your appointment with the consulate, you will be issued a J-1 visa stamp in your passport. You may now enter the US as early as 30 days before the "From" date specified in Section 3 of the DS-2019 form. You may arrive up to 25 days after the program start date and your SEVIS record must be validated by the 30th day after the program start date. In order for your SEVIS record to be properly validated you must send your Arrival Confirmation and U.S. Residence address to foreign.scholars@stanford.edu

Two special notes:

  1. Canadians DO need passports but DO NOT need visa stamps to enter the United States from Canada. They also must show Form DS-2019 at the port of entry to obtain status as a J-1 scholar.
  2. Citizens of a number of countries other than Canada may enter the United States without visas (visa waiver), but only as tourists for a maximum stay of three months, not as 'Exchange Visitors' or 'Students'. To change they have to leave the United States (and North America in most cases), apply for an appropriate visa at a United States consulate, and then return.

 

I-94 Departure Record card and Form DS-2019

When you arrive in the United States, an immigration officer will give you these two important documents, which you should keep in your passport. They are your only proof of your J-1 status, and you should keep them in a safe place.

You should keep all copies of Form DS-2019 permanently. It is also advisable, after your arrival, to photocopy the identification pages of your passport, your visa stamp, I-94 Departure Record card, and the Form DS-2019 and keep them separately from the originals, for use in applying for replacements if the originals should be lost or stolen.

 

More information about the Exchange Visitor Program

 

PART II. IF YOU ARE ALREADY IN THE UNITED STATES AS A J-1 EXCHANGE VISITOR–

Transferring programs by changing J-1 sponsorship

Once granted your Stanford appointment, provide a copy of your current DS-2019 to your department administrator. Please also provide the contact information (name and email address) of your current J-1 sponsor's foreign scholar advisor to your department administrator. Your department administrator will then need to request a Stanford DS-2019 form. We will then contact the scholar advisor at the international office at your sponsoring institution and arrange the transfer. Once your current sponsor has transferred the record to Stanford and we have received the DS-2019 Request from your Stanford department, we will be able to issue a Stanford DS-2019 for you.

 

PART III. CONFIRMATION OF YOUR ARRIVAL AT STANFORD UNIVERSITY

You must provide the following information no later than 25 days of your entry into the U.S. in J-1 status so that your SEVIS record can be properly validated. Send e-mail to foreign.scholars@stanford.edu with the following information:

  • SEVIS ID NUMBER– appears in upper right-hand corner of your DS-2019 (preceded by "N"):
  • LAST NAME:
  • FIRST NAME:
  • MIDDLE NAME:
  • U.S. RESIDENCE ADDRESS: (Street, City, State, Zip)
  • Phone Number:
  • Scholar E-mail Address:
  • Date Arrived in the United States:

The SEVIS record can be validated with a temporary residence address (but not an office or academic department address) and U.S. address updates should be reported to foreign.scholars@stanford.edu within 10 days of the change of address,    

 

PART IV. LATER EXTENDING YOUR PERMISSION TO STAY IN THE UNITED STATES–

To come back into the United States in J-1 status, you will need to have the Form DS-2019 endorsed in the Travel Validation section on the bottom right corner of the form by a Responsible Officer at the Bechtel International Center. This confirms both your affiliation with this school and the continuing availability of your financial support. Unless you are traveling to Canada or Mexico for less than 30 days and retain your I-94 card, you will need a new J1 visa in your passport if that visa has expired. If your visa has expired, you will have to apply for a new one at a United States consulate abroad (see "Visa Stamp" in Part I).

 

PART V. LATER SHORT TRIPS OUT OF THE UNITED STATES–

To come back into the United States in J-1 status, you will need to have the Form DS-2019 endorsed on the bottom right corner of the form by a Responsible Officer at the Bechtel International Center.  This confirms both your affiliation with this school and the continuing availability of your financial support. Unless you are traveling to Canada or Mexico for less than 30 days and retain your I-94 card, you will need a new J1 visa in your passport if that visa has expired.  If your visa has expired, you will have to apply for a new one at a United States consulate abroad (see "Visa Stamp" in Part I).

 

PART VI. DEPENDENTS (J-2 visa status)–

  • Only immediate family– spouse, and children under 21 years of age– are eligible for the J-2 visa status.
  • Click here for further information for J-2 dependents including application for work authorization. The J-2 dependent must be in the United States to be eligible to apply.

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