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 Form DS-2019. Dependent 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 the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and the 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 (ISO) so we can change your start date in SEVIS. Otherwise, your DS-2019 will be invalidated. Please contact us if a delayed arrival is expected. If your plans change and you do not use the DS-2019, please return it to us 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 $100 SEVIS fee. J-1 scholars must pay this fee in addition to visa application fees at least three business days before reporting to the Consulate to submit the visa application and undergo a visa interview. Canadian citizens must pay the fee at least three business days before entering the United States [See additional information for Canadian citizens, below]. J-2 dependents are not required to pay the SEVIS fee. A completed Form I-901 must accompany all SEVIS fee payments. Click here for more information about the SEVIS fee. There are three ways to pay the fee:

• Form I-901 may be completed and submitted on-line and the SEVIS fee may be charged to Visa, MasterCard, or American Express. Print a receipt and bring it with you to the U.S. Consulate at the time of visa application. It should also be carried and shown upon arrival in the United States to immigration officials at the airport or border.
  
  OR
  
  
• You may obtain a check, international money order, or foreign draft (drawn on a U.S. bank only) in the amount of $100 US, made payable to “Department of Homeland Security.” Download Form I-901 and send it with the payment via regular mail to the payment collection site (the post office box listed on the I-901). [Caution: Many express mail and courier companies will not deliver to post office boxes.] A receipt will be mailed to you at the address you list on the form. The receipt should also be carried with you and shown upon arrival in the United States to immigration officials at the airport or border. This alternative payment method can take many weeks and is subject to the reliability of the mail.
  
  OR

• International scholars in many countries may pay the SEVIS fee in local currency using the Western Union Quick Pay™ service. Click here for more information and instructions.
  
  Can someone else pay the fee for me? Yes. A third party may pay the fee for you. A faculty member's research funds cannot be used for this purpose. When submitting the payment, the third party must enter the correct SEVIS ID number (listed in the upper right corner of your DS-2019) and write your name exactly as it appears on the DS-2019 and in your passport. A reliable address must be listed for mailing of the receipt. Or, the receipt should be printed immediately from the web and sent to you.

3. Submit the DS-2019 and SEVIS fee receipt to a 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 travel to the United States and arrive at MIT.

4. Upon entry to the United States, you will complete a Form I-94 Arrival/Departure record. The 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 immigration document, so be sure to complete it carefully. Your name on the I-94 card should be written exactly as it appears in your passport and on your 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 Form 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 listed on the DS-2019.

6. When you arrive at MIT, you must register with the International Scholars Office in Room 4-105. If you do not register within 30 days afte the start date on your DS-2019, your J-1 status will be invalidated. Please bring your passport, I-94 card, and DS-2019. We will also give you a temporary MIT identification card and information booklet, and invite you to a required orientation meeting, at which we will discuss immigration issues, health insurance requirements, taxes, MIT, and the Boston-Cambridge area.

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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.

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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 if you leave before the end date on your DS-2019. Please let us know 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. For information on this requirement, please refer to the Cost of Living information and the information on Health Insurance Requirements for J-1 Scholars. We must notify DOS if you fail to meet the minimum health insurance requirement for yourself and any J-2 dependents.

Employment Authorization: The J-1 visa authorizes your work at MIT as described on the Form DS-2019; it does not permit you to work elsewhere. If you have questions regarding other employment in the United States, please contact the International Scholars Office.

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 the 12-month bar if the person was in the United States in the Short-Term Scholar category or if his/her presence in the United States was less than six months duration.

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Do not leave the United States without the immigration documents that are 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 ISO staff member, to re-enter the United States. We are happy to assist you 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 apply for a U.S. visa stamp inside the United States. Special regulations apply to visits to Canada, Mexico, or adjacent islands. Contact the ISO or click here for more information.

Visa requirements and immigration regulations are complex and they do change . We would like to help you with these matters. 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.

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