Procedures for Departments Bringing in J-1 Scholars

Any visiting international scholar for whom the University undertakes visa sponsorship must have some sort of CU-Boulder sponsorship. This does NOT mean that the visitor must be on the payroll of the University; each year we have many visitors such as Fulbright Scholars who come to CU-Boulder on money from other sources. The following procedures have to be initiated by the department or the inviting faculty member in order to bring in a foreign scholar as a J-1 exchange visitor:

• Complete the Adobe Form Fillable Department Request for DS-2019. Have the prospective scholar complete the Visiting Scholar Information form.  Submit both forms to ISSS. The DS-2019 can valid for a stay of up to five years for people coming in the professor or researcher categories. The short-term scholar category has a time limit of six months. Specialists have a period of up to 1 year maximum for program participation. Departments should request the period of time for which the visiting scholar is expected to be here and for which financial support can reasonably be expected.

  Please make sure that the information provided is complete and accurate. If it is incomplete, we will send the form back to the department for completion. If it is inaccurate, it can cause the visitor a great deal of distress, denial of a visa, delay in issuing a visa, an incorrect determination of the applicability of the two year home residence requirement, and other complex problems which are extremely difficult to correct. Ultimately, inaccurate information can cause the Department of State to suspend or cancel the University's authority to issue DS-2019s and sponsor J-1 exchange visitors. We depend on the individuals who sign the worksheet to take full responsibility for the accuracy of the information on the form.

   

  Professors and Research Scholars: For Exchange Visitors in the Professor or Research Scholar category, there is a 2 year bar to repeat participation in these categories (J Research Scholar or J Professor) once they have completed a J program as a Professor or Research Scholar.  For more information, please see our Q&A Handout. .                                                                                                                                                                                 

• Upon receipt of a properly completed, signed and documented request form, ISSS will prepare a DS-2019 and a covering memorandum of instructions. These papers will be sent to the DEPARTMENT to be FORWARDED to the prospective exchange visitor. We do this because it is important for the University to speak with one voice in order to eliminate confusion. Although this may seem like an additional burden for the department, it is a service to the visitor. In any given year, our office does paperwork for approximately 500 visiting scholars. We have no budget for mailing expenses.

• The scholar takes the DS-2019 and passport and the passports of dependents to the U.S. consulate nearest his/her place of residence and requests that a J visa be placed in the passport(s). That visa, along with the DS-2019, will allow the scholar (and dependents) to enter the United States in J status.

On Arrival of Scholar

• SEND THE SCHOLAR TO ISSS WITH PASSPORT AND IMMIGRATION DOCUMENTS IMMEDIATELY so that we can verify the scholar's immigration status and record required information in our files. Regulations require the University to maintain these records as part of our exchange visitor program. We have 30 days to validate the visitor's arrival in the U.S.; if the visitor does not check-in with ISSS within 30 days of the program start date on the DS-2019 form, the immigration documents will be cancelled.

• If necessary, apply for an extension of the scholar's stay by completing another Department Request for DS-2019 form, marking "Extension of Program" and sending it to ISSS. The scholar will also need to complete the Insurance Compliance form. Please note that our office does not track the expiration of J status. It is the responsibility of the visiting scholar and the hosting department to track the expiry of status.

• Report to ISSS when the scholar terminates work here, giving us the date of departure from the University if known. This report of termination is especially important in view of the extended stays that can be authorized for exchange visitors.

*The departure report may be made on the form we send as a cover sheet with the DS-2019, by phone, by email, or by memo or letter. WE NEED THIS INFORMATION AND APPRECIATE YOUR HELP IN THIS REGARD.