Most J-1 programs require a minimum stay of three weeks and allow a maximum stay of three years. One six-month extension can be given by the “sponsor” if the additional time is needed for the scholar to complete the purpose for which he or she originally came to the United States.

In unusual circumstances and only if certain time-consuming procedures have been started well in advance, the U.S. Department of State, which administers the J-1 or “Exchange Visitor Program,” can authorize an extension of more than six months.

If a J-1 scholar’s initial permission to remain in the United States is valid for less than three years (as it will be if the scholar application materials indicate a shorter period than three years), then an “extension of stay” for any period up to the three-year limit can be granted. This procedure requires the department to send the ISSS a completed Form for J-1 Extension of Stay.

Yes, if the scholar is in J-1 status. Scholars in J-1 status can be paid by an academic department for whatever work they do in that department. The income is taxable, unless the scholar comes from a country with which the United States has a tax treaty that exempts the scholar’s pay from income taxation.

It is also possible for visiting scholars in J-1 status to receive honoraria for lectures or consultations carried out elsewhere than the University, as long as they go through the appropriate procedures. For information about those procedures, contact an adviser in ISSS.

Scholars in J-1 status are not permitted to work outside the department with which they are affiliated, or even in areas within that department not directly related to the purpose for which they came to the University.

Yes, a visiting scholar can come with what is called a B-1 “visitor for business” visa. Under certain limitations, a person in B-1 status is permitted by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) regulations to be reimbursed for expenses, and, under the amended law, can be paid an honorarium in any amount.

Visiting scholars who are going to meet all of their own expenses can also come in B-1 status.

Acquiring a B-1 visa does not entail any formal immigration document from the University. To obtain a B-1 visa, a prospective scholar ought to have an invitation letter from the department with which the scholar will be affiliated, detailing the dates and activities of the contemplated visit, and stating what if anything is to be provided in the way of reimbursements and honoraria.

If you wish to transfer from one J-1 sponsor to another, you must seek 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 three-year maximum.

A DS-2019 is a U.S. government form that a person in another country uses to apply for a J-1 visa to come to the United States as a visiting scholar. The Office of International Student in the sponsoring educational or research institution typically issues DS-2019s on behalf of the university.

The prospective scholar must then obtain a “visa” from the United States embassy or a United States consulate in his or her own country. (Citizens and permanent residents of Canada need neither a passport nor a visa to enter the United States.) To obtain a J-1 visa from an American embassy or consular post abroad, the prospective scholar must have a Form DS-2019 from the American institute inviting the scholar.

A visiting foreign scholar is a person who comes to the university temporarily, mainly to teach, do research, or both. The broad term “visiting foreign scholar” encompasses, for example, Fulbright scholars who come to teach, post doctoral research fellows, and visiting professors. Some foreign scholars are at the university for only a few days; others remain for three years. Visiting foreign scholars come to the University for academic enterprises, not for non-academic employment.

Visiting foreign scholars normally hold a visa known as a J-1 or exchange-visitor visa. Some people who acquire J-1 status are subject to what is known as the two-year, home-country physical presence requirement. Dependents (spouses and children below the age of 21 of J1 visa holder) are in a status called J-2.

To underscore the seriousness with which the Department of State views health insurance, the new regulations require your J program sponsor to terminate your status in the U.S. if you willfully fail to comply with the insurance requirement.

The Department of State has established the following requirements for the type and amounts of coverage required to maintain J-1 or J-2 status:

J1 Scholar (Exchange Visitor Visa) Health Insurance policy must provide “medical benefits of at least $50,000 for each accident or illness.” It means that an acceptable policy couldn’t set a maximum lower than $50,000 in benefits for each accident or illness.

If a J visa holder dies in the U.S., then the policy must provide at least $7,500 in repatriation benefits to send the remains to the home country for burial.

The deductible should not exceed $500 per accident or illness.

The co-payment of medical expenses (the portion not covered by insurance that the insured pays him or herself) should be of no more than 25%.

If, because of a serious illness or injury, you must be sent home on the advice of a doctor, the policy must pay up to $10,000 for the expenses of your travel.

J1 Scholar (Exchange Visitor Visa) Health Insurance policy may establish a waiting period before it covers pre-existing conditions (that is, health problems you had before you bought the insurance), as long as the waiting period is reasonable by current standards in the insurance business.

If you elect to satisfy the insurance requirement through a policy issued in your home country, the policy must be backed by the full faith and credit of your government. Otherwise, the company providing the insurance must meet minimum rating requirements established by Department of State (an A.M. Best rating of “A-” or better, an Insurance Solvency International, Ltd. (ISI) rating of “A-1″ or better, a Standard & Poor’s Claims-Paying Ability rating of “A-” or better, or a Weiss Research, Inc. rating of “B+” or better).

These requirements apply to both J-1 students and scholars and to their J-2 dependent spouses and children.

A J-1 visa is a stamp in a person’s passport, required (except in the case of Canadians) for people who are not U.S. citizens or permanent residents to enter the United States. The J-1 visa is intended for, among others, scholars who want to come to the US temporarily to teach in a college or university, do research, or both.