J-1 Visa Sponsorship

Resources for Campus Representatives

TIEC relies on selected Designated Campus Representatives as primary points of contact for help in administering our J visa program. Designated Campus Representatives help bridge the communications pathway on their campuses between inviting faculty members, exchange visitors, and other contact people; ensure compliance of the Exchange Visitor Program on their respective campuses; and relay important information between the exchange visitors and TIEC as well.

Responsibilities for Campus Representations include Inviting exchange visitors, compiling and submitting application materials. Designated Campus Representatives work with inviting faculty members to compile a complete application packet, which is forwarded to our office for processing.

Applying for DS-2019s

When you are ready to apply for a DS-2019 for a new exchange visitor, you should begin gathering the required application materials, which usually include the following:

1. TIEC J-1 Exchange Visitor Information Sheet (New Application). Information on this form will be used to create the DS-2019 form for the exchange visitor, which in turn allows them to apply for their J visa.
2. Invitation letter from your institution, on your institution’s letterhead, addressed to the prospective EV from the inviting department and includes:
   1. the description of the program, research, work, or field of study;
   2. the description of costs likely to be incurred by the visitor in the U.S. (e.g., housing, transportation, health insurance);
   3.  the program start and end dates; and
   4. the total amount and source of funding, if your institution financially sponsors or pays the visitor. The original letter should be mailed to the scholar/student as it will be required for a visa application.
3. Proof of funding / financial support, , which may include letters from funding institutions (signed and on letterhead), personal bank statements of the exchange visitor, etc. TIEC strongly recommends that the funding equals at least $1,800 a month plus an additional $500 per additional dependent per month. Exchange visitors in the student category have additional regulations, detailed here.
4. Copy of passport/s. Submit the passport of the exchange visitor and any accompanying dependents. The validity of the passport should last at least 6 months beyond the end of the exchange program.
5. Proof of English proficiency, which indicates that the exchange visitor possesses sufficient proficiency in the English language to successfully participate in his or her program and to function on a day-to-day basis. Submit to TIEC at least one of the following:
   1. Adequate scores on English proficiency tests such as IBT TOEFL, IELTS, and TOEIC, or scores on other standardized tests in English such as GRE and GMAT.
   2. A letter signed by the direct supervisor of the exchange visitor and approved by the designated campus representative which confirms 1) that interview(s) with the exchange visitor by faculty at the sponsoring institution determined that the exchange visitor has sufficient English proficiency, and 2) that the interview was conducted either in-person, videoconferencing, or by telephone if videoconferencing was not a viable option.
   3. Signed documentation from an academic institution or English language school.

6. Copy of exchange visitor’s CV. The CV should reflect the exchange visitor’s qualifications for the field of research/work/field of study of their program.
7.  Offer letter of employment (if applicable). According to CFR Title 22, “An exchange visitor who engages in unauthorized employment shall be deemed to be in violation of his or her program status and is subject to termination as a participant in an exchange visitor program.” This may act as the invitation letter if it includes all the information required by the invitation letter. The offer letter itself should include the exchange visitor’s hours, start and end dates of employment, job responsibilities, address of site if different from the university campus, and salary. Additional regulations are applicable to students seeking employment. Additionally, the hosting institution must confirm that the employment:
   1. is under the supervision of the hosting university
   2. is directly related to the objectives of the exchange visitor program; and
   3. is incidental to the primary program activities.
8. For transfer-in exchange visitors, the following documents must also be submitted in addition to the above: for the exchange visitor and any dependents if they are already in the U.S. as a J visitor:
   1. TIEC’s transfer-in form
   2. Copy of passport/s. Submit the passport of the exchange visitor and any accompanying dependents.
   3. Copy of signed DS-2019/s. Submit the DS-2019 form of the exchange visitor and any accompanying dependents.
   4. Copy of I-94 form/s. Submit the I-94 form of the exchange visitor and any accompanying dependents.
      
      *Additional supporting documents or forms may be required.

We will review the documents and contact you if we have questions. Please email j1@tiec.org if you have any questions or additional information.

Designated Campus Representatives help coordinate and/or report the following services during an EV’s program:

• Incident Reporting In order to comply with federal regulations pertaining to the Exchange Visitor Program, and to ensure Exchange Visitors’ health, safety, and welfare, report serious incidents involving Exchange Visitors. For examples of what qualifies as an incident, see this document.
• Visa Extension
  Submit extension requests to TIEC at least one month before the end date of the current DS-2019. There are no extensions for the Short-Term Scholar category.
• Changes in site location or EV’s residential address, phone number, email address, etc.
• Leaving the Country (temporarily)
  TIEC RO or ARO must sign the EV’s DS-2019 allowing them to travel outside of the U.S. and return. Submit in writing the anticipated departure and return dates as well as the purpose of travel. Special permission will be needed if the time outside the country is more than 30 days, and there are additional regulations for 30+ days of travel outside the U.S. specific to Professors and Research Scholars. J-2 dependents cannot stay in the U.S. with the J-1 holder absent for any absence longer than 30 days.‍
• Leaving the Country (permanently)
  Notify TIEC immediately if the exchange visitor or any of his or her dependents leave the U.S. permanently before the program end date on the exchange visitor’s DS-2019.

• Transferring Out
  Exchange visitors may transfer to another school to continue their program as long as they have time remaining in their category and the new program is in line with the original purpose of their program. Please complete the transfer out form and send it to us, as TIEC will need to coordinate with the new program sponsor to approve the transfer.
• Program Completion
  Inform TIEC when visitors complete their program and leave the U.S.
• Breach of program compliance, including failure to maintain health insurance coverage for any period. Sponsors must terminate an exchange visitor’s participation in their program if it is determined that:some text
  • the exchange visitor or any of their dependents willfully fails to remain in compliance with minimum requirements for health insurance coverage (22 CFR 62.14). The period of required coverage is the actual duration of the exchange visitor’s participation of the program as recorded on the DS-2019 in the “program begin date” and “program end date”.
  • the exchange visitor is engaged in unauthorized employment (22 CFR 62.40).
  • the exchange visitor fails to pursue the activities for which they were admitted to the U.S.
• A significant change in funding.
• Request to change the exchange visitor’s program category.
  A change of the exchange visitor’s program category requires a direct appeal to the U.S. Department of State and includes a nonrefundable fee of $367 payable to the U.S. Department of State. If the request is denied, the participant is expected to return home no later than 30 days from the date of the Department’s notice or the program’s end date indicated on the Form DS-2019, whichever is later. TIEC recommends that the exchange visitor talk with an immigration specialist first.
• Request to change the exchange visitor’s visa status.
  A change of the exchange visitor’s visa status requires a direct appeal to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Once the request is submitted, the exchange visitor cannot extend their program and may also face other restrictions until their request is resolved. TIEC recommends that the exchange visitor talk with an immigration specialist first.
• Changes in biographic information (name, gender, country of citizenship, etc.).
• Lost or damaged DS-2019 form.  TIEC will send a replacement.
• Annual Reporting Once a year, the U.S. State Department asks all J-Visa sponsors to complete a comprehensive report of their program, participants, and highlights. TIEC relies on our Campus Representatives to compile this report for their universities and forward them to us for submission. We collate reports from our universities and must submit the report in July of each year. This means that in June, TIEC will ask you to begin collecting the data needed, write your report, and send it to us by early July.