General Information about US Visas and the J-1 Exchange Visitor Program

In the wake of the September 11 terrorist attacks, special processing requirements have been imposed on non-immigrant visa applications. These requirements may lead to a delay of several weeks in visa issuance.

It is important to note that developments in the United States and elsewhere can result in changes from day to day. Please check the US Consulate's web pages (http://travel.state.gov/visa/questions_embassy.html) for new developments and the Visitor and Visa Services web pages (www.admin.ias.edu/vvs/) for Immigration Alerts.

It has always been of great importance for foreign nationals to maintain legal status in the United States. If anything, it is of even greater importance today than ever before. The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services is under greater pressure to strictly enforce all immigration requirements, and any new legislation may well impose harsher penalties than ever for even minor violations of immigration laws.

US Visas

A US visa is the stamp placed by a US consular officer on a page of the passport. The issuance of the visa stamp indicates that the holder is qualified to apply for admission to the United States in a particular immigration classification. The expiration of a visa stamp does not necessarily have any relationship to the length of time one may remain in the United States. One may legally remain in the United States with an expired visa stamp as long as he or she remains in valid non-immigrant status. For a J-1 Exchange Visitor, the period of valid non-immigrant status is indicated on the Certificate of Eligibility (DS-2019) and the D/S (Duration of Status) designation on the I-94 Arrival/Departure Record. In order to maintain lawful non-immigrant status, a J-1 scholar must also be abiding by the parameters as set out in his or her DS-2019 document.

Exchange Visitor Program and J-1 Exchange Visitors

The United States Department of State is the government agency that oversees the Exchange Visitor Program and approves all Exchange Visitor Program Sponsors. The sponsor of an Exchange Visitor Program is empowered by the US government to issue a Certificate of Eligibility (DS-2019) for each J-1 Exchange Visitor accepted into the sponsor's program. The J-1 Exchange Visitor classification is the non-immigrant status most commonly used by foreign scholars in the United States.

The primary document needed to obtain the J-1 visa stamp required for admission to the United States in J-1 status is the Certificate of Eligibility for Exchange Visitor Status (DS-2019) issued by the Responsible Officer or Alternate Responsible Officer of the Exchange Visitor Program Sponsor. The DS-2019 provides information about the Exchange Visitor, the academic objective to be pursued, and the source and amount of the Exchange Visitor's funding. An Exchange Visitor may receive compensation from the sponsor or the sponsor's appropriate designee. The sponsor of your Exchange Visitor Program is the Institute for Advanced Study (Program No. P-1-0156), and the designated Responsible Officer for the Institute is Jennifer Hansen. The total stay in the United States for Exchange Visitors in the Professor or Research Scholar categories is limited to three years. The total stay in the United States for Exchange Visitors in the Short Term Scholar category is six months.

Dependents of Exchange Visitors - J-2 Status

Your spouse and unmarried minor children (under 21 years of age) are eligible to apply for J-2 visa stamps. Other family members such as parents, companions, married children, and children over the age of 21 are not eligible for J-2 status but may apply for B-2 tourist visas. If your family members plan to make short trips to visit you but do not intend to reside in the US, they may find it preferable to use the B category for such trips particularly if they are eligible to participate in the Visa Waiver Program or already hold an unexpired B-1/B-2 visa stamp. More information about B-1/B-2 visas and the Visa Waiver Program may be found later in these instructions.

If your dependents will enter the United States with you, they may obtain their J-2 visa stamps and apply for admission to the United States in J-2 status. In order to do so, they must have their own individual DS-2019 issued by IAS.

If your dependents will enter the United States separately from you, they may obtain admission to the United States on the basis their individual DS-2019. All family members may apply for their visa stamps simultaneously at the US Consulate regardless of whether they will accompany the J-1 Exchange Visitor or enter the United States separately.

After arrival in the US, family members in J-2 status may apply to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services for employment authorization but only if the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services determines that the compensation will be used for their own support and not to support the J-1 Exchange Visitor. Employment authorization, once received, is valid for employment with any employer but is limited to the period stated on the Employment Authorization Document issued by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services.

Multiple Entry Visa Stamps

Visa stamps can be issued for one entry, two or more entries, or for multiple entries. A multiple entry visa may be used to go in and out of the United States an unlimited number of times until its expiration date. If you hold a one entry visa and leave the United States, it will be necessary to apply for a new visa stamp at a US Consulate since it is not possible to return again with the original visa, even if time remains before its expiration date (exceptions for trips to Canada and Mexico may be found later in these instructions).

If you plan to make any trips outside the United States during your stay at the Institute, it is recommended that you inquire whether a multiple entry is available to you when you apply for your J-1 visa. The number of entries, the length of the visa's validity, and the size of the application fee varies for nationals of each country on the basis of reciprocity with US citizens seeking entry to the visa applicant's country of citizenship.

If you have a valid J-1 visa, you may continue to use it provided you will arrive in the United States before the expiration date shown on your visa and you will carry with you a valid DS-2019, Certificate of Eligibility. Please be aware that some visas are only authorized for one or two entries to the United States in J-1 or J-2 status.

Passports

United States immigration law requires that all non-immigrants have valid machine-readable passports to enter and remain in the US. Please be certain that your passport and the passports of all accompanying family members are valid for at least six months beyond your intended period of stay in the United States.

If an expired passport contains a valid unexpired visa stamp, the visa stamp can still be used since the expiration of the passport has no effect on the visa's validity. A non-immigrant can fulfill the visa and passport requirements by presenting both the renewed and expired passports (provided that both passports were issued by the same government).