J-1 Exchange Scholars (Visiting Faculty & Staff)

Get more information as a visiting J-1 professional at Champlain.

J-1 exchange scholars are usually visiting artists, lecturers, postdoctoral candidates doing research, or professors at Champlain.

They are invited officially by Champlain College to perform specialized services (i.e. teaching, lecturing, observing, demonstrating specialized skills, etc) for a specific time period.

This section is for those who have been officially invited by the College and are seeking immigration, arrival, orientation, and other information.

  • Step 1:

    Please download and complete the Champlain College Request For Form DS-2019: Certificate of Eligibility for Exchange Visitor (J-1) Status – For Scholars Only.

    Step 2:

    Gather a copy of your biographical information page of your passport and copies of your funding documentation (bank statements, letters of support/affidavits, etc).

    Step 3:

    Download and complete both the Champlain College J-1 Scholar Statement of Health Insurance and the Champlain College J-1 Scholar English Proficiency Statement.

    Step 4:

    Scan and submit via email to the Office of International Student Services at international@champlalin.edu the following completed documentation:

    1. Champlain College’s Request For Form DS-2019: Certificate of Eligibility for Exchange Visitor (J-1) Status – For Scholars Only
    2. Scanned copy of your biographical information page of your current, valid passport
    3. Scanned copies of your funding documentation
    4. Champlain College J-1 Scholar Statement of Health Insurance Form
    5. Champlain College J-1 Scholar English Proficiency Statement

     

    Step 5:

    Wait for the Office of International Student Services to reach out to you to discuss with instructions.

  • Now that you have been issued your Form DS-2019, the next step is to apply for your J-1 visa.

    Here is how you start the visa application process:

    1. Pay the U.S. SEVIS I-901 fee and print out the receipt by following this link: https://www.fmjfee.com/i901fee/index.html. You will need to present this receipt at your visa appointment. This fee is required for ALL international exchange visitors who want to visit the United States.
    2. Visit https://ceac.state.gov/genniv/ and complete the Online Nonimmigrant Visa Electronic Application (DS-160). Print out the DS-160 barcode page and bring it with you to your visa appointment. This form is required.
    3. Make an appointment for your visa interview at the U.S. Consulate or Embassy in your home country with jurisdiction over your place of residence.
    4. U.S. government officials require evidence to prove that you qualify for the J-1 visa.

     

    This is what you need to have with you when you go to the visa interview:

    1. Original Form DS-2019, Certificate of Eligibility for Exchange Visitor Status
    2. SEVIS I-901 Fee receipt (Form I-797)
    3. DS-160 barcode page (confirmation page with application ID number on it)
    4. MRV Fee Receipt
    5. Valid passport (valid at least 6 months beyond intended stay)
    6. Two 2X2 Photographs
    7. Original letter of invitation from Champlain College
    8. Original financial documents (less than 6 months old) from your sponsors (this includes yourself).
    9. Official transcripts and diplomas
    10. Proof of ties to your home country
    11. Visa Reciprocity Fee (if applicable) (http://travel.state.gov/content/visas/en/fees/reciprocity-by-country.html)

     

    Tips for a successful visa interview:

    1. Be brief and answer questions directly.
    2. Keep a positive attitude during the interview.
    3. Be ready to explain why you are going to Champlain College.
    4. You must convince the consul that you plan to go back home to stay after you complete your studies. This is the number one reason for visa denial! Present documents that show you have “ties” to your home country, which will force you to return to your home country. These “ties” are usually social, economic, and/or family.
    5. Practice your English. You will be required to speak it.

     

    Important notes after your visa interview:

    1. After your J-1 Visa is issued and before you leave the embassy/consulate, please check the visa to make sure that all data on the visa is correct. Check that your name matches your passport name and that it shows that it is a J-1 visa. If these items are incorrect, please ask for them to be fixed.
    2. If your visa is denied, send an email to international@champlain.edu and attach a copy of any written reason for the denial you may have been given. 
    3. DO NOT plan to enter the United States earlier than 30 days before your program start date indicated on your Form DS-2019.
    4. Do not pack your immigration documents in your suitcase.

  • We are looking forward to your arrival at Champlain College! If you follow the instructions outlined below, you should be able to enter the United States without difficulty.

    1. IMPORTANT! DO NOT come earlier than 30 days before your program start date indicated on your Form DS-2019.
    2. DO NOT enter later than the program start date without the College’s permission.
    3. DO NOT pack your immigration documents in your suitcase.
    4. In case of emergency: please email international@champlain.edu.
    5. All international visitors entering the U.S. will receive an electronic I-94 – this is your status in the U.S. You can access verification of your status online at this link. They may stamp your passport as well – this stamp will show the date of admission, class of admission (J-1), and the date you are admitted to (D/S).
    6. Have your documents ready to show a U.S. Customs and Border Protection Officer. You will be asked to show your passport, J-1 visa, Form DS-2019, financial documents, your letter of invitation from Champlain College, your SEVIS fee receipt, and contact details of Champlain College (above) when you are going through U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Inspection.
    7. Be prepared to explain why you are coming to the U.S. The CBP officer will ask a few questions about your purpose for coming to the U.S. Please be prepared to tell him or her why you are coming to visit Champlain College.
    8. Check that the CBP officer properly stamped your documents before you leave the inspection area. Before you leave the inspection site when you enter the United States, please make sure that the stamp (if there is one) in your passport clearly reads: “J-1 D/S”. If your stamp or I-94A is missing any piece of this important handwritten notation, please walk back to the inspector at the port of entry and have them fix it immediately.
    9. You may be asked to go to secondary inspections. This is normal – do not worry.
    10. Please email international@champlain.edu as soon as you arrive on campus and request an appointment to meet and go through your documents. Please bring the following documents with you for our inspection and photocopying:
      • Passport (s) with current J-1 Visa
      • Original Champlain College Form DS-2019
      • Your original I-94 stamp (if there is one) or I-94 electronic printout

  • As a J-1 Scholar, you will be asked to attend a required International Scholar Orientation before the start of classes. The Director of the Office of International Student Services will arrange this with you before your arrival. This is a mandatory requirement of the J-1 Program and must be completed no later than the first week of employment.

Important J-1 Scholar Topics

  • You are 100% responsible for your immigration status and following the rules of your status.

    Champlain College is 100% responsible for reporting in SEVIS whether or not you are maintaining your status.

    SEVIS:

    Student and Exchange Visitor Information System. After 9/11, the Department of Homeland Security built a database to monitor and report on the activities of F, M, and J students/scholars and their schools.

    RO/ARO:

    Responsible Officer/Alternate Responsible Officer. A RO or ARO helps you understand the rules of your status and reports whether or not you are maintaining your status in SEVIS. This person is specifically trained in U.S. immigration regulations regarding J-1 exchange visitors, including scholars. At Champlain College, the RO is the Director of the Office of International Student Services (Skiff Hall, 205B).

    STATUS:

    Permission to be in the United States for a period of time for a specific activity. You were given your status by the Customs and Border Protection inspector either in your passport as a stamp or on your electronic I-94 printout. Your passport or electronic I-94 printout should read “J-1 D/S”.

    DS-2019:

    Form DS-2019 certifies that a specific sponsor has brought you to the U.S. for a specific program in a specific field of study.

    By signing your Form DS-2019 on Page 1, you agree to obey the rules of J-1 status.

    Rules of J-1 Status (How to Maintain Your Status)

    1. Report to the Director of the Office of International Student Services with your travel documents as soon as possible. Your program will be validated soon after.
    2. You must engage in the activity that you were brought to the United States to do (for example, if you are in the U.S. to research, you are expected to do research).
    3. Maintain your required documents. Keep your DS-2019, passport, and I-94 valid.
    4. You need your RO’s permission BEFORE you extend your program.
    5. You must get advanced authorization from your RO BEFORE you accept any employment in the United States. An exchange visitor’s participation is subject to termination when he or she engages in unauthorized employment.
    6. You are required to carry the appropriate health insurance for the entire length of your program.
    7. You must report any change to your local address within 10 days.
    8. Before you travel, be sure to check that your travel endorsement (signature) is valid and obtain a new signature from your RO/ARO every year. Be sure to discuss your travel plans with your RO.
    9. You must have approval from your RO BEFORE you withdraw from your program.
    10. You need to obtain permission from your RO for a SEVIS transfer BEFORE transferring to another US school.
    11. File a federal income tax form every year you are in the U.S. even if you did not work.
    12. After your completion of your program, you have a 30 day grace period.

     

    If you obey these rules outlined above, you are “maintaining your status.”

    Please consult with your RO should you ever have questions regarding your J-1 status.

  • J-1 professors and research scholars may be permitted to engage in occasional lectures or consultations while they are working on their program in the United States. Please be advised that these lectures and consultations are one-time events. Teaching a semester-long course at another institution is not considered occasional employment.

    Qualifications for Engaging in Occasional Lectures/Consultations

    1. The employment is directly related to the objectives of your program.
    2. The employment is incidental to your primary activities of your program.
    3. The employment will not delay the completion date of your current program.
    4. The employment is approved in writing by your host department at Champlain College.
    5. The employment must be authorized in writing and in advance in SEVIS by your RO/ARO.
    6. You are in valid J-1 status.

     

    Please see the Director of the Office of International Student Services BEFORE engaging in any employment either inside or outside of Champlain College.

  • INA 212(e) Home Residence Requirement applies only to J-1 exchange visitors. As the section states, the exchange visitor, if subject, must reside and be physically present in their home country for a total of two years. In addition, while being subject to 212(e), J-1 exchange visitors are ineligible for H, L, or K, or permanent resident statuses and cannot change from J to any other nonimmigrant status within the United States.

  • When determining whether or not a person is eligible for the J-1 professor or research scholar status, a college or university must verify whether or not he or she has ever been in J-1 status before, the J-1 category (or categories) he or she has been given, and the duration of the program(s) in the United States.

    The 12-Month Bar

    The 12-month bar is determined by verifying whether or not the visitor was physically present in the United States as a J-1 visa holder (in any J-1 category) in the 12 months preceding the new proposed program start date. The question being asked is: Has this person been present in the U.S. in the previous 12 months as a J-1 visa holder? If the answer is “yes”, the visitor is not eligible for J-1 professor or research scholar status. The exceptions to the 12-month bar are:

    • Transferring in J-1 status to another program
    • Engaging in J-1 programs less than 6 months
    • Participating in the J-1 program as a short-term scholar

     

    The 24-Month Bar

    The 24-month bar should not be confused with the Two-Year Home Residency Requirement detailed above.

    The 24-month bar is determined by verifying whether or not the visitor has been in J-1 professor or research scholar status in the United States in the last two years, or 24 months. If the answer is “yes”, the visitor is barred from returning to the United States in J-1 professor and research scholar statuses and must wait two years before entering the country in those two statuses. Many RO/AROs refer to this as the bar on “repeat participation.”

  • J-2 visa holders are the spouse and/or unmarried children under 21 years of age who accompany or later join the J-1 Exchange Visitor in the United States.

    J-2 visa holders are allowed to engage in full- or part-time study and they can apply to USCIS for work authorization after having arrived in the United States.

    Each J-2 has his or her own DS-2019 and J-2 visa stamp in his or her passport.

    If the primary J-1 exchange visitor is subject to 212(e) (the two year home residency requirement), the dependents, or J-2s, are also subject.

    All J-2 visa holders must carry and maintain health insurance for the entire length of the J-1 exchange visitor’s program while in the United States.

    If a J-2 wants to change to J-1 status, this would be considered a change of status and the J-2 must abide by the rules of changing status. J-2s wishing to change to J-1 status are encouraged to make an appointment with the Office of International Student Services to discuss the options.

    J-2s wishing to apply for work authorization in the United States should contact the Office of International Student Services, for more information and guidance.

    Finally, a J-2 can remain in the United States as long as the primary J-1 visa holder has valid J-1 status. A J-2 is dependent on the primary J-1 visa holder. If the primary J-1 violates status and is terminated, the J-1 and their dependents must leave the United States.