Residing in the United States as a J-1 Exchange Visitor

Health Insurance

You are required to carry health/medical insurance for yourself and all J-2 family members which meet the minimum requirements as required by the federal regulations governing the J-1 Exchange Visitor Program for the duration of your status as a J-1 scholar:

• $50,000 minimum per accident or illness
• $500 minimum deductible per illness
• $10,000 provision for medical evacuation
• $7,500 minimum for repatriation coverage

The Institute has information on insurance offered which meets the minimum requirements for J-1 Exchange Visitors and their accompanying J-2 dependents. You may contact the Human Resources for more information at u or by calling 609-734-8243.

Social Security Numbers

You should apply for a Social Security Number if you will be receiving funding from a US source. Once issued, the number is assigned to you indefinitely. It is necessary to have a Social Security number in order to receive an honorarium, stipend, or any other type of compensation above the reimbursement of basic expenses.

An applicant for a Social Security number must apply in person at the Social Security Administration Office in Trenton, New Jersey, and submit his or her original immigration documentation for review. We will provide transportation for one or two trips to the Social Security office in Trenton at the start of both the first and second terms. If you do not currently hold a Social Security number, you will be notified of the trip arrangements after your arrival. Please note that Social Security numbers for non-immigrants can only be issued after arrival in the US.

Occasional Lectures or Consultations

J-1 Research Scholars may participate in occasional lectures and short-term consultations while visiting other research institutions with preapproval by Jennifer Hansen, the Responsible Officer at the Institute. If the second institution offers you wages or other remuneration during your visit, they will require written approval from the Institute, your program sponsor. The second institution should make the request on their letterhead and include a brief description of your visit, the dates of duration, and the amount of funding you will receive. The request should then be sent by fax to 609-951-4471. Upon receipt, the Institute's Responsible Officer will review the description to ensure that it falls within the purpose of your J-1 program and send the authorization letter directly to the second institution by fax.

Travel Abroad and Reentry

If you make a temporary visit outside the United States, you must have the following documentation in order to reenter the United States in J-1 status: an unexpired passport, an unexpired J-1 visa stamp (multiple entry or with at least one remaining entry), a DS-2019 signed and dated by the Responsible Office in the Travel Validation by Responsible Officer section. Once signed by the Responsible Officer, the DS-2019 is then valid for travel for one year from the date of the signature or until the ending date on the DS-2019, whichever comes first.

If your J-2 family members must travel outside the United States while you remain in the US, they may submit their DS-2019 along with their valid passports and valid unexpired J-2 visa stamps in order to reenter the United States. As indicated above, the DS-2019 must be signed and dated by the Responsible Office in the Travel Validation by Responsible Officer section.

Each time you exit the United States, with the exception of visits to Canada and Mexico or Contiguous Territories of the United States (see Automatic Revalidation of Visas below), you will surrender your I-94 Arrival/Departure Record upon departure. When you reenter the US, you will receive a new I-94. Please be certain that each new I-94 is marked with J-1 (or J-2 for family members) and the notation D/S (Duration of Status).

If your J-1 visa stamp has expired, or if the number of authorized entries has already been used, it will be necessary for you to apply to a US Consulate outside the United States for a new J-1 visa stamp in order to reenter the United States (for exceptions to this see Automatic Revalidation of Visas below). This also applies to family members with expired J-2 visa stamps.

Automatic Revalidation of Visas (Trips to Canada, Mexico, and Contiguous Territories of the US)

An expired J-1 (or J-2) visa stamp may be considered automatically extended when the J-1 Exchange Visitor applies for readmission to the United States after a temporary absence of not more than 30 days, during which time he or she has been solely in Canada, Mexico, or other Contiguous Territories of the United States other than Cuba. Thus, under these circumstances, an Exchange Visitor whose visa has expired is saved the necessity of applying for a new visa at a consular post in order to reenter the US. Please note that this automatic extension is only valid for reentry from Canada, Mexico or Contiguous Territories of the United States and that reentry to the United States from locations other than these will require a valid visa.

In order to reenter the United States with an expired J-1 visa stamp after a short trip to Canada, Mexico, or Contiguous Territories, it will be necessary to present your valid passport, original DS-2019 (signed and dated by the Responsible Office in the Travel Validation by Responsible Officer section), and your I-94 Arrival/Departure Record. Therefore, you should not surrender your I-94 when departing for a short visit of less than 30 days to any of the above destinations.

Important changes

Because of security concerns, the State Department has changed this provision which allowed for automatic revalidation of non-immigrant visas after short trips to Canada, Mexico or Contiguous Territories. The first change renders nationals of countries designated as "state sponsors of terrorism" (currently Iran, Iraq, Libya, Syria, Sudan, North Korea, and Cuba) no longer eligible for automatic revalidation at all.

The second change affects nationals of ALL countries, IF they have applied for a non-immigrant visa while in Canada or Mexico. As of April 1, 2002, any person who has applied for a visa in Canada or Mexico, but has not been issued the visa, is not eligible for automatic revalidation. This change means that applying for a visa in Canada or Mexico is now an "all or nothing" proposition: either the visa will be issued and the person can return to the United States, or the visa will not be issued (either delayed for a security clearance, or simply denied) and the applicant will not be able to return to the United States.

Bar on Participation for Previous Exchange Visitors

US government regulations bar an individual from participating in an Exchange Visitor Program as a Professor or Research Scholar if that person was physically present in the US as a J-1 Exchange Visitor for all or part of the 12 month period immediately preceding the starting date of the new Exchange Visitor Program. The 12-month bar does not apply to an Exchange Visitor who was sponsored in the category of Short-term Scholar or is transferring directly from another institution's program.

Further, new US government regulations bar an individual from participating in an Exchange Visitor Program as a Professor or Research Scholar if that person was physically present in the US as a J-1 Exchange Visitor Professor or Research Scholar for all or part of the 24 month period immediately preceding the starting date of the new Exchange Visitor Program.

The 12 and 24-month bars also apply to J-2 spouses of the J-1 Exchange Visitor.

Two-Year Home Country Physical Presence Requirement

Certain Exchange Visitors are not eligible for H temporary worker or permanent residence status in the United States until they have resided and been physically present in their country of nationality or last legal permanent residence for a total of at least two years following final departure from the United States or until a waiver of the requirement is issued by the United States Department of State and United States Citizenship and Immigration Services. It is important to note that the imposition of the two-year home residency requirement has no effect on a scholar's ability to be admitted to the United States on any other type of visa (including participation in a new Exchange Visitor Program).

The two-year home residence requirement can be imposed due to the following situations:

• The Exchange Visitor's financial support comes from the US government, the foreign government, or an international organization. A Research Scholar who is working on a project funded from a US government research grant awarded to an institution for a specific research objective is not considered to be subject to this requirement on grounds of government funding. The scholar is subject, however, if the US government funding is awarded for an international exchange objective.
• The Exchange Visitor's field of specialized knowledge is listed on the United States Department of State's Exchange Visitor Skills List as being in short supply for his or her country of citizenship or permanent residency. Not all countries are subject to the Skills List.

It is possible to apply to the United States Department of State for a waiver of the two-year requirement in the following situations:

• If the Exchange Visitor is subject because their area of work appears on the Skills List, he or she can apply to the home country for a statement of "no objection". Once received, the Department of State notifies the waiver applicant that the statement has been received and requests that the applicant forward all copies of his or her DS-2019 forms along with a completed data sheet.

  In the absence of US government funding, a No Objection statement from the home country is likely to result in a favorable waiver recommendation from the United States Department of State. If the applicant received US government funding, the government sponsor is contacted for its views regarding the grant of a waiver. If the government sponsor objects, a No Objection statement from the home country will have limited effect, and the Department of State will generally make an unfavorable recommendation.

• If the Exchange Visitor is engaged in a program for, or of interest to, a US government agency, the head of that agency or designee may apply to the Department of State for a waiver on the grounds that the granting of the waiver would be in the public interest and that the Exchange Visitor's absence from the United States would be clearly detrimental to a program or activity of interest to that agency. Waiver applications based upon an Interested Government Agency request must have strong supporting documentation as to why the agency has a special interest in the project at issue, and why the Exchange Visitor is uniquely qualified to fill his or her position as opposed to American applicants or other foreign nationals.

Waiver decisions are made on a case-by-case basis, taking into consideration program, policy, and foreign relations, as well as the impact of the requested waiver on US relations with the home country.

Retention of Documentation

Please note that you should retain all documentation pertaining to your past and/or present immigration status in the United States. Such documentation may include current and expired passports, Notices of Action (Forms I-797), copies of Form I-94, Employment Authorization Documents, Forms DS-2019 (Certificates of Eligibility for Exchange Visitor Status). These records are important in establishing your compliance with US immigration laws.

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

Domestic Travel

US immigration law has always required foreign nationals in the United States to carry with them documentation of their legal status. This law, however, was rarely enforced until September 11. We now strongly suggest that all foreign nationals be advised to carry with them at all times documentation of their legal immigration status in the US. This is especially important for foreign nationals who will be traveling domestically, since United States Citizenship and Immigration Services officials have been assigned to check documents of passengers boarding at least some domestic flights.

Overstay

Please be aware that if it is your intention to continue your research at the Institute, all extensions of your J-1 program must be completed prior to the current end date indicated on your DS-21019.