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If you will be coming as a J-1 Exchange Visitor in a program sponsored by both the Department of State and MIT, you will receive a Certificate of Eligibility for Exchange Visitor Status (Form DS-2019) which will enable you to apply for a J-1 visa stamp at a U.S. Embassy or Consulate and enter the United States in J-1 status.
Dependents of J-1 Exchange Visitors (spouse and unmarried children under age 21) can enter the United States in J-2 status. Each dependent must have a separate DS-2019. Children cannot remain in J-2 status after their 21st birthday.
In order to issue your DS-2019, information on you (and any J-2 family members) will be entered, as required by law, into SEVIS (the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System), a government tracking program used by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
If you are unable to arrive at MIT within 30 days after the start date on your DS-2019, you must notify the International Scholars Office (ISchO) so we can change your start date in SEVIS. Otherwise, your DS-2019 will be invalidated. Please contact us if your arrival will be delayed. If your plans change and you do not use the DS-2019, please return it promptly.
1. Complete the Form DS-2019. Carefully read page two, especially regarding the two-year home country physical presence requirement, and sign the "certification" on the bottom of page one.
2. Pay the $180 SEVIS fee. J-1 scholars must pay this fee in addition to visa application fees at least three business days before submitting the visa application and undergoing the visa interview. Canadian citizens must pay the fee at least three business days before entering the United States. J-2 dependents are not required to pay the SEVIS fee. A completed Form I-901 must accompany SEVIS fee payments. There are three ways to pay the fee:
3. Make an appointment at a U.S. Consulate or Embassy (see http://www.usembassy.gov/) and submit the DS-2019 and SEVIS fee receipt, along with any other required documents, to the U.S. Consulate or Embassy. [Canadian citizens, see below.] The J-1 is a nonimmigrant visa, and the consul who issues the visa stamp must be satisfied that you do not plan to immigrate to the United States. The burden of proof will be on you to show you have a residence in your home country which you do not intend to abandon and that you qualify for the J-1 visa category.
When you obtain the J-1 visa stamp, e-mail ISO@mit.edu to tell us when you will arrive at MIT.
4. Upon entry to the United States, you will complete a Form I-94 Arrival/Departure record. Form I-94 is a small, white card that will be stamped by the immigration examiner and stapled inside your passport when you enter the United States. It is a very important document, so be sure to complete it carefully. Your name on the I-94 should be written exactly as it appears in your passport and DS-2019.
5. When you arrive at the airport or border, present your DS-2019 and SEVIS fee receipt along with your passport and J-1 visa stamp to the immigration examiner, and request to be admitted in J-1 status. The immigration examiner should mark your I-94 with the notations "J-1" and "D/S" (duration of status). You may enter the United States in J-1 status no more than 30 days before or 30 days after the start date on the DS-2019.
6. When you arrive at MIT, you must register with the ISchO in Room 4-105. If you do not register within 30 days after the start date on your DS-2019, your J-1 status will be invalidated. Please bring your passport, I-94, and DS-2019. We will also give you a temporary MIT ID card and information booklet, and invite you to a required orientation meeting, at which we will discuss immigration issues, health insurance, taxes, MIT, and the Boston-Cambridge area.
Please Note: The ISchO will move to E38-219 (Building E38, Room 219) on November 23, 2009. Details
Canadian citizens are never required to obtain a visa stamp from a consular officer. However, they are admitted in a specific visa classification and must present the DS-2019 and SEVIS fee receipt at the border or port of entry in order to be admitted in J-1 status and be given a Form I-94 with the correct notations. Canadians are typically asked to pay a $7 border-crossing fee related to the Form I-94.
Early Departure or Change in Plans: DOS administers the J-1 Exchange Visitor Program. We are required to report in SEVIS if you do not come to MIT or leave before the end date on your DS-2019. Please tell us when you intend to depart MIT, if you cancel your plans to come to MIT, or if your start date will be delayed.Health Insurance: All J-1 scholars and J-2 dependents must have health insurance that meets specific requirements. See http://web.mit.edu/scholars/intlscholars/healthinsurance/j1requirements.html. We must notify DOS if you fail to meet the requirements for yourself and any J-2 dependents.Employment Authorization: The J-1 visa authorizes your work at MIT as described on the DS-2019; it does not permit you to work elsewhere. If you have questions regarding other employment in the United States, please contact the ISchO.Twenty-Four Month Bar: If you are coming to MIT as a J-1 Research Scholar or Professor, you will become subject to the 24-month bar if: (1) you complete a full five years of J-1 Research Scholar or Professor program participation with one or more J-1 program sponsors, or (2) You complete a particular J-1 Research Scholar or Professor program of ANY LENGTH, and your SEVIS record becomes inactive BEFORE the full five-year period is over. You must then wait at least 24 months before you may begin a new J-1 program in the Research Scholar or Professor category.Twelve-Month Bar: Anyone who has been in the United States in any J-1 category other than Research Scholar or Professor, or in J-2 status, for all or part of the 12-month period immediately preceding the desired start date of a new appointment is not eligible for sponsorship for a new J-1 program in the Research Scholar or Professor categories. There is an exception to this rule if the person was a J-1 Short-Term Scholar or his/her presence in the United States was for less than 6 months.
Do not leave the United States without the immigration documents required for your return. You must have a valid J-1 entry visa stamp in your passport and a valid DS-2019, signed on the front by an ISchO staff member. We are happy to assist with questions about your documents. If your visa stamp has expired or will expire soon, please check with us to get the proper instructions for applying for a new one. It is not possible to renew a U.S. visa stamp inside the United States. Special regulations apply to visits to Canada, Mexico, or adjacent islands. Go to http://web.mit.edu/scholars/intlscholars/travel/index.html for more information.Visa requirements and immigration regulations are complex and they do change. Please do not hesitate to consult our website, call us, or visit our office at any time during your visit to MIT. We hope you will have a productive and happy stay here.
Last Updated: November 2009