International Student & Scholar Services

International Programs

The J-1 Exchange Visitor Status for Scholars

Overview
Obtaining J-1 Sponsorship at Penn
Conditions
Extension of J-1 Sponsorship
Transfer of J-1 Sponsorship

Overview

The Exchange Visitor Program, administered by the US Department of State (DOS), allows the University of Pennsylvania to use the J-1 Exchange Visitor immigration classification to invite or employ foreign professors, research scholars, short-term scholars and specialists in the United States temporarily.

Length of Stay

Most J-1 programs require a minimum stay of three weeks and allow a maximum stay of five years. The short-term scholar category allows an exchange visitor to enter even for a day or two, with a maximum stay of six months. The specialist category allows a minimum stay of three weeks and a maximum stay of one year.

Maintaining Legal Status

You must take care during your stay to maintain lawful J-1 status, as failure to do so can have serious long-term consequences for you. Fortunately, there are some simple steps you can take to ensure that your stay in the US remains valid:

Following your initial entry to the US, be sure to register with International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS) within 30 days of the program start date of your Form DS-2019.
Be aware of the expiration date of your status. This is not your visa expiration date; it is the ending date in section 3 of your DS-2019 form. If your appointment at the University is extended, the hosting department must contact ISSS to have the DS-2019 form extended as well.
Keep your passport valid. Passports can be renewed by your consulate in New York or Philadelphia or by your embassy in Washington. The DOS maintains a complete list of Foreign Embassies in the US.
Do not accept unauthorized employment. The only activity you are permitted is the one described in section 4 of the DS-2019 form. You must consult an ISSS advisor beforehand if you wish to take up any other work during your stay. Please see the section on incidental employment below.
If offered a comparable position at another college or university, discuss your plans with an ISSS advisor to make sure that the required transfer procedure can be accomplished. Please see information on Transfer of J-1 Sponsorship below.
Comply with DOS federal health insurance requirements for J-1 status holders and their families. Please see the Health Insurance Requirements below. Willful disregard of these requirements will result in termination of your program and your J-1 status.
Report any address change to ISSS. You are required to report your change of address to USCIS within 10 days of the change; however, because you are entered into the SEVIS system, you should update your address with ISSS. The information that you provide to ISSS will be transmitted directly to DOS/DHS.

Applicants should coordinate with their hosting departments to put together the J-1 Application Packet for ISSS to issue DS-2019s.

The primary advantages of the J-1 status are that it can be obtained relatively easily and quickly, that it usually allows the spouse and dependents holding J-2 status to work while in the US. There are also tax advantages, including the fact that J-1 exchange visitors usually do not have to pay FICA in their first two years that they are in the US.

Scholars who are unsure of their future plans with respect to employment in the US and who would be subject to the two-year home country residence requirement, described below, would do well to consider alternative immigration classifications.

Conditions

The J Exchange Visitor status carries with it certain obligations unique to this designation. In general, J status holders have conditions on their stay in the US and return to their home country, employment, and health insurance coverage.

Two-Year Home Country Residency Requirement

J-1 individuals who have received direct funding from their government or the US government, or whose skills are deemed to be in short supply by the home country (i.e. on the "skills list"), are obliged to leave the United States upon completion of their programs. These scholars may not change their immigration status to another nonimmigrant category permitting employment, such as H-1B status, or adjust their status to that of permanent resident until they have completed the obligatory stay of two years in their home country. In some cases, this requirement may be waived upon recommendation of the home government, or on other grounds. The final authority to grant the waiver lies with USCIS. The two-year home country residence requirement does not, however, apply in all cases, since there are many countries that do not maintain a list of skills in short supply.

Health Insurance Requirements

In addition to the two-year home country residence requirement, J-1 scholars must also carry adequate health insurance for themselves and any accompanying dependents in order to maintain valid J-1 and J-2 status. Please note that failure to comply with the DOS federal health insurance requirements is a ground for termination from the Exchange Visitor Program at University of Pennsylvania per DOS.

ISSS can provide information on a variety of health insurance options if the individual will not be covered by a University group plan or insurance from their home country.

Incidental Employment

In order to work for an employer other than the University of Pennsylvania in the position described on your DS-2019 form, you must first obtain approval in advance and in writing from your J-1 Responsible Officer/Alternate Responsible Officer (RO/ARO), who represents your J-1 sponsor and issues your Forms DS-2019. He or she must evaluate the proposed employment in terms of your program objectives and your individual circumstances, and then decide whether it would be appropriate or not. For most J-1 professors and scholars at Penn, the University is your sponsor and your J-1 RO/ARO is one of the ISSS advisers. If your J-1 sponsor is an agency, and if you are uncertain how to reach your J-1 RO/ARO, an ISSS adviser will help you find out, but has no authority to grant employment permission.

Any incidental employment must meet the following criteria:

Must be directly related to the objectives of your Exchange Visitor program
Must be incidental to your primary program activities
Must not delay the completion of your Exchange Visitor program

If the proposed employment meets the criteria above, please follow the procedures outlined in Occasional Lectures or Consultations by J-1 Scholars (fillable PDF) and visit ISSS to meet with an advisor, who will determine whether the proposed employment can be authorized.

Extension of J-1 Sponsorship

If your hosting department wishes to extend your appointment/affiliation with the University, they must complete a J-1 Application Packet (fillable PDF) and return it to ISSS at least six weeks before your current J-1 status expires (date as noted in section 3 of Form DS-2019). Keep in mind that the same criteria required for the initial appointment must be maintained or met in order to extend the appointment.

Transfer of J-1 Sponsorship

If you wish to transfer from one J-1 sponsor to another, you must seek advance clearance from the original program sponsor. Once your program sponsor has approved or signed your new DS-2019 and returned it to the new sponsor, you are then considered under the sponsorship of the new program. The scholar may not take up employment with the new program until the transfer process has been successfully completed. The transfer of J-1 program sponsor must be completed prior to the individual's termination from the previous J-1 program and before the current DS-2019 form expires. Time spent in a previous program(s) prior to the transfer will be counted toward the maximum stay allowed for each J-1 category.

If you wish to transfer your J-1 status from Penn to another institution, please use the Transfer Out Request for J-1 Scholars (fillable PDF).

To transfer between departments at the University, please see our transfer guidelines.

For more information, please contact ISSS.

	International Programs Penn Abroad \| ISSS \| International Travel and Research
International Student & Scholar Services New Arrivals Orientation International Student & Scholar Handbook Visas & Immigration Information for Penn Departments Instructions & Forms International Student Advisory Board International Partners Outreach Group Intercultural Leadership Program ISSS Staff Events & Announcements Online Appointment Scheduler Emergency Contact Information International Programs Penn Abroad International Student & Scholar Services Staff Directory International Travel and Research	The J-1 Exchange Visitor Status for Scholars Overview Obtaining J-1 Sponsorship at Penn Conditions Extension of J-1 Sponsorship Transfer of J-1 Sponsorship Overview The Exchange Visitor Program, administered by the US Department of State (DOS), allows the University of Pennsylvania to use the J-1 Exchange Visitor immigration classification to invite or employ foreign professors, research scholars, short-term scholars and specialists in the United States temporarily. Length of Stay Most J-1 programs require a minimum stay of three weeks and allow a maximum stay of five years. The short-term scholar category allows an exchange visitor to enter even for a day or two, with a maximum stay of six months. The specialist category allows a minimum stay of three weeks and a maximum stay of one year. Maintaining Legal Status You must take care during your stay to maintain lawful J-1 status, as failure to do so can have serious long-term consequences for you. Fortunately, there are some simple steps you can take to ensure that your stay in the US remains valid: Following your initial entry to the US, be sure to register with International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS) within 30 days of the program start date of your Form DS-2019. Be aware of the expiration date of your status. This is not your visa expiration date; it is the ending date in section 3 of your DS-2019 form. If your appointment at the University is extended, the hosting department must contact ISSS to have the DS-2019 form extended as well. Keep your passport valid. Passports can be renewed by your consulate in New York or Philadelphia or by your embassy in Washington. The DOS maintains a complete list of Foreign Embassies in the US. Do not accept unauthorized employment. The only activity you are permitted is the one described in section 4 of the DS-2019 form. You must consult an ISSS advisor beforehand if you wish to take up any other work during your stay. Please see the section on incidental employment below. If offered a comparable position at another college or university, discuss your plans with an ISSS advisor to make sure that the required transfer procedure can be accomplished. Please see information on Transfer of J-1 Sponsorship below. Comply with DOS federal health insurance requirements for J-1 status holders and their families. Please see the Health Insurance Requirements below. Willful disregard of these requirements will result in termination of your program and your J-1 status. Report any address change to ISSS. You are required to report your change of address to USCIS within 10 days of the change; however, because you are entered into the SEVIS system, you should update your address with ISSS. The information that you provide to ISSS will be transmitted directly to DOS/DHS. Obtaining J-1 Sponsorship at Penn Applicants should coordinate with their hosting departments to put together the J-1 Application Packet for ISSS to issue DS-2019s. The primary advantages of the J-1 status are that it can be obtained relatively easily and quickly, that it usually allows the spouse and dependents holding J-2 status to work while in the US. There are also tax advantages, including the fact that J-1 exchange visitors usually do not have to pay FICA in their first two years that they are in the US. Scholars who are unsure of their future plans with respect to employment in the US and who would be subject to the two-year home country residence requirement, described below, would do well to consider alternative immigration classifications. Conditions The J Exchange Visitor status carries with it certain obligations unique to this designation. In general, J status holders have conditions on their stay in the US and return to their home country, employment, and health insurance coverage. Two-Year Home Country Residency Requirement J-1 individuals who have received direct funding from their government or the US government, or whose skills are deemed to be in short supply by the home country (i.e. on the "skills list"), are obliged to leave the United States upon completion of their programs. These scholars may not change their immigration status to another nonimmigrant category permitting employment, such as H-1B status, or adjust their status to that of permanent resident until they have completed the obligatory stay of two years in their home country. In some cases, this requirement may be waived upon recommendation of the home government, or on other grounds. The final authority to grant the waiver lies with USCIS. The two-year home country residence requirement does not, however, apply in all cases, since there are many countries that do not maintain a list of skills in short supply. Health Insurance Requirements In addition to the two-year home country residence requirement, J-1 scholars must also carry adequate health insurance for themselves and any accompanying dependents in order to maintain valid J-1 and J-2 status. Please note that failure to comply with the DOS federal health insurance requirements is a ground for termination from the Exchange Visitor Program at University of Pennsylvania per DOS. ISSS can provide information on a variety of health insurance options if the individual will not be covered by a University group plan or insurance from their home country. Incidental Employment In order to work for an employer other than the University of Pennsylvania in the position described on your DS-2019 form, you must first obtain approval in advance and in writing from your J-1 Responsible Officer/Alternate Responsible Officer (RO/ARO), who represents your J-1 sponsor and issues your Forms DS-2019. He or she must evaluate the proposed employment in terms of your program objectives and your individual circumstances, and then decide whether it would be appropriate or not. For most J-1 professors and scholars at Penn, the University is your sponsor and your J-1 RO/ARO is one of the ISSS advisers. If your J-1 sponsor is an agency, and if you are uncertain how to reach your J-1 RO/ARO, an ISSS adviser will help you find out, but has no authority to grant employment permission. Any incidental employment must meet the following criteria: Must be directly related to the objectives of your Exchange Visitor program Must be incidental to your primary program activities Must not delay the completion of your Exchange Visitor program If the proposed employment meets the criteria above, please follow the procedures outlined in Occasional Lectures or Consultations by J-1 Scholars (fillable PDF) and visit ISSS to meet with an advisor, who will determine whether the proposed employment can be authorized. Extension of J-1 Sponsorship If your hosting department wishes to extend your appointment/affiliation with the University, they must complete a J-1 Application Packet (fillable PDF) and return it to ISSS at least six weeks before your current J-1 status expires (date as noted in section 3 of Form DS-2019). Keep in mind that the same criteria required for the initial appointment must be maintained or met in order to extend the appointment. Transfer of J-1 Sponsorship If you wish to transfer from one J-1 sponsor to another, you must seek advance clearance from the original program sponsor. Once your program sponsor has approved or signed your new DS-2019 and returned it to the new sponsor, you are then considered under the sponsorship of the new program. The scholar may not take up employment with the new program until the transfer process has been successfully completed. The transfer of J-1 program sponsor must be completed prior to the individual's termination from the previous J-1 program and before the current DS-2019 form expires. Time spent in a previous program(s) prior to the transfer will be counted toward the maximum stay allowed for each J-1 category. If you wish to transfer your J-1 status from Penn to another institution, please use the Transfer Out Request for J-1 Scholars (fillable PDF). To transfer between departments at the University, please see our transfer guidelines. For more information, please contact ISSS.
	International Programs Penn Abroad \| ISSS \| International Travel and Research