Immigration Information for J-1 Students

It is your responsibility to understand and comply with the terms of your immigration status during your stay in the United States. A violation of the immigration regulations (for example, unauthorized employment or failure to maintain a full-time credit load could jeopardize your student status). Please review this information carefully and contact your adviser in the International Student Services (ISS) if you have questions.

Federal law requires you to carry "registration" documents at all times, including I-20 (F-1) or DS-2019 (J-1) and I-94 card. For day-to-day purposes, we suggest that these documents be kept in a secure location such as a bank safe deposit box. However, if you are traveling within the U.S. you should carry these documents with you. If you are traveling by air, train, bus or ship, you may be required to produce these documents before boarding. Keep photocopies of all your documents in a separate location, in the event your documents are lost or stolen.

Passport
Your passport must be valid at all times. Keep your passport and other important documents in a safe place, such as a bank safe deposit box. Report a lost or stolen passport to the police, as your government may require a police report before issuing a new passport. To renew or replace your passport, contact your country's consulate in the U.S. While in the U.S., always carry with you a photocopy of the passport's identity page and photocopies of the other documents listed below.

Visa
The visa is the stamp that the U.S. consular officer placed on a page in your passport. The visa permitted you to apply for admission into the U.S. as a J-1 student, and need not remain valid while you are in the U.S. (Canadian citizens are not required to have a visa.)

DS-2019 Certificate of Eligibility
Issued by your school or sponsoring agency, this document allows you to apply for a visa, enter or re-enter the U.S., and make certain other requests to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). The DS-2019 must remain valid at all times. Request a new form prior to its expiration date. Keep every DS-2019 for your permanent record. Do not discard the old ones.

I-94 Departure record
When you entered the U.S. you were issued Form I-94, a small white card usually stapled to the passport opposite the visa stamp. Except for brief visits to Canada, Mexico or adjacent islands, you will be issued a new I-94 card each time you enter the U.S. The I-94 card records the date and place you entered the U.S., your immigration status (for example, J-1 or J-2) and authorized period of stay (usually written simply as "D/S", meaning "duration of status"). A $160 fee is required to replace a lost, stolen, or damaged I-94.

Period of authorized stay
Your admission to the U.S. is for "duration of status;" that is, for the time during which you are pursuing a full course of study and making normal progress toward your degree, or engaging in authorized academic training following completion of studies, plus 30 days to prepare to depart the U.S.

Extension of stay
If you are unable to complete your course of study before the completion date noted in item 3 on your DS-2019, ask your ISS adviser (or program sponsor) to issue a new DS-2019. The new DS-2019 must be issued before your current DS-2019 expires.

Changing schools
You must register full-time at the school that issued the DS-2019 you used to enter the U.S. If you later decide to transfer to another school, contact your ISS adviser (or program sponsor) prior to completing your final quarter for information about school transfer procedures.

Full-time requirements
A "full course of study" is 12 or more credits per quarter for undergraduate students, and 10 or more credits per quarter for graduate students. Your ISS adviser may allow exceptions to the full-time requirement, as listed below:

• You may take fewer credits if so advised by your ISS adviser for valid academic reasons.
• Graduate students registered for thesis or dissertation credit may register for fewer than 10 credits and be considered full-time for immigration purposes.
• You may reduce or interrupt a full course of study because of a documented medical condition.
• In your final quarter, you may take as few credits as required to complete your degree. You must take at least one credit.

Do not register for fewer than the required number of credits or withdraw from a course without first receiving permission from ISS. Part-time studies could jeopardize your stay in the U.S. and make you ineligible for J-1 benefits.

Annual vacation quarter
You may take a "vacation quarter" and remain in the U.S. if you have completed three full-time consecutive quarters and are eligible and intend to register for the quarter following the vacation. A student who arrives in the U.S. for the first time to begin study winter or spring quarter may take the first summer as a vacation quarter. Please contact your ISS adviser if you will be taking a quarter other than summer as your vacation.

Employment
"Employment" is any work performed or services provided (including self-employment) in exchange for money or other benefit or compensation (for example, free room and board in exchange for babysitting).

• You may work on the campus you are authorized to attend up to 20 hours per week while school is in session, and full-time during a vacation quarter and between quarters, provided you continue as a student the following quarter.
• If your on-campus hiring department is not listed on your DS-2019, contact your ISS adviser or program sponsor for an employment authorization letter.
• Employment off-campus must be authorized in advance by your ISS adviser or program sponsor.

Returning to the U.S. after a temporary absence
At the port-of-entry you must present:

• An unexpired DS-2019 endorsed for travel within the last six months by an ISS adviser (or responsible officer of your program sponsor). The travel signature is located in the lower right hand corner of the form.
• Valid J-1 visa.
• Passport.
• Evidence of finances.
• Copy of your transcript and current course schedule.
• If returning from Canada, Mexico or adjacent islands (except Cuba) after a visit of less than 30 days solely in those countries, your visa need not be valid; however, you will be required to show your previously issued I-94 in addition to the other documents listed above.
• Students outside the U.S. for more than one quarter and those on Academic Training may have additional requirements.
• Click here for more travel information.

Dependents
Your spouse and unmarried children under 21 may be eligible for J-2 dependent status. Contact your ISS adviser or your program sponsor for procedures to invite a dependent to join you in the U.S. J-2 dependents may apply to USCIS for employment authorization.

Change of address
Any change of address must be reported to Immigration within ten days of the change.

Graduation
Please notify ISS at least one quarter prior to your graduation date so we may give you appropriate information concerning academic training, travel and other procedures.