J Visa Exchange Visitors & Students

The University of Maryland Baltimore (UMB) is pleased to host students and scholars in its Exchange Visitor program as well as those who are under the program sponsorship of outside agencies and organizations.

The purpose of the Exchange Visitor program, administered by the Department of State (DOS), is to increase mutual understanding through educational and cultural exchanges between the people of the U.S. and people of other countries. The exchange programs at UMB seek to do this through a variety of formats, including, but not limited to, study, instruction and research.

J Visa Students

While in the United States, you must follow certain rules and regulations to maintain legal status. The points below are intended to give you brief information about regulations that apply to your J visa status.

Course load requirements - All international students on J-1 visas must pursue a full-time course of study while in the U.S. The regulations define a full course of study for undergraduate and professional school students as at least 12 credits per semester. Students working towards Masters or PhD degree must be registered for at least 48 units. Under certain circumstances students are permitted to register for less than full-time. These special circumstances include: the Winter and Summer terms, a documented severe medical problem, valid academic reasons, students who need less than full-time load to complete their program of study, graduate students who have completed formal course-work, and students engaged in academic training. 

Exchange Visitor financial requirements- All Exchange Visitors particpating in programs at UMB must have a minimum of $20,000, plus an additional $5000 for each dependent paid in UMB salary, home country government/institutional funding, or personal funds for each year of their program.   Home country/institutional funding requires an official letter stating the amount of support from the agency or institution providing the funding source prior to processing of a DS 2019 Form.  Personal funds require a current bank statement, (within the past 6 mos.) prior to processing of a DS 2019 Form.

For questions concerning eligibility, contact the OIS.

Check-in and Orientation - All Exchange Visitors must check in at their department and with the OIS.

Health Insurance - Exchange Visitors are required, as a condition of their J-1 status in the U.S., to carry health insurance for themselves and their accompanying family members in J status.  By government regulation, minimum insurance coverage must provide the following:

• $50,000 per accident or illness;
• $7,500 for repatriation of remains;
• $10,000 for medical evacuation to the home country;
• a deductible (the amount you pay before the insurance begins to pay) not to exceed $500 per accident or illness;
• co-insurance not to exceed 25% payable to the Exchange Visitor or sponsor;
• a specific rating of the insurance carrier's ability to pay insurance claims.

Failure to comply with the government's health insurance regulation may result in termination of the Exchange Visitor's program.  Cost of coverage can vary.

Important Documents, Terms and Procedures

• Visa - A visa is your permission to apply for entry into the U.S.. As long as the student stays in the U.S., it does not matter if the visa has expired. There are several kinds of visas (e.g., F-1, F-2, J-1, J-2). The visa status of your dependents is usually linked to the type of visa you have.
  
  
• J-1 visa - The student visa given when the student's funding source is the United States government, the government of the student's home country, or an international organization of which the United States is a member by treaty or statute.
  
  
• DS-2019 - Certificate of Eligibility used to obtain your J-1 Exchange Visitor Visa.
  
  
• I-94 (Arrival/Departure Record) - The small white card issued by the U. S. Citizenship & Immigration Service (USCIS) upon entry to the U.S.. It is normally stapled in your passport on the page opposite your visa. The I-94 is your permit to stay in the U.S.
  
  
• Admission Number - Upon admission to the U.S., the immigration officer issues each Exchange Visitor a unique 11 digit admission number. The number is intended to keep track of the student's arrivals, departures, permission to work, and other matters. This number is found on the I-94.
  
  
• Duration of Status (D/S) - The Exchange Visitor's permission to stay is defined as "Duration of Status". It appears on the I-94 as D/S and relates to the expected date of program completion (check item #3 on the DS-2019). Exchange Visitor's must file for an extension of program at least one month before this date.
  
  
• Length of Stay - The student on a J-1 Exchange Visitor visa is admitted to the U.S. for what is called duration of status. The ending date on the Form DS-2019 controls the ending date of authorized stay. All J-1 students must be pursuing a full course of study, be making satisfactory advancement towards the completion of the academic program or be on authorized academic training following their course of study.
  
  
• J-1 students can continue their studies uninterrupted through several degree programs and academic training or post-doctoral training as long as timely notifications of extensions of stay and authorizations for academic training or post-doctoral training have been filed according to regulations.

 For more information on the procedures for extending your stay, contact the OIS.

• Program Transfer - If Exchange Visitors are transferring from another institution in the U.S., they must have an endorsement from the Responsible Officer at the former institution on the new DS-2019.
  
  
• Travel and Re-entry to U.S. - Students leaving the U.S. for a temporary visit abroad must have the following documents in order to re-enter the U.S. in Exchange Visitor status:

If you are traveling to a country other than your home country, you may need a visa to enter that country. You should contact that country's embassy in Washington D.C. or visit this website for more information:  http://www.state.gov/s/cpr/rls/fco/c14632.htm

• Employment - All students on J-1 visa are required to have authorization from the OIS or, if not sponsored by UMB, from their program sponsor's Responsible Officer, if they wish to work.
  
  
• Authorization is also needed for graduate teaching fellows as well as research assistants. Authorizations will be job specific and may not be transferred to other offers of employment.
  
  
  Three types of employment are possible for J-1 students:

• Academic Training - Academic training is employment related to a student's field of study and is permitted while the student is enrolled in school or after completion of the program. You may participate in academic training part-time while classes are in session and full-time during vacation periods and, under certain circumstances, you may interrupt your study to work full-time, for example, while you are working on your thesis. Students wishing to participate in academic training upon completion of a program must apply for it and have firm job offers within thirty (30) days of completion of studies.
  
  Before undertaking any academic training you must have written approval from your Responsible/Alternate Responsible Officer. If the University is your program sponsor, you must see the OIS for your academic training approval. If your program sponsor is an outside agency, you will need to contact that agency for your academic training approval.
  
  
• Employment of Dependents - Dependents of students on J-1 visas entering the U.S. on J-2 visas may work after obtaining authorization from the U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Service (USCIS) if they demonstrate that funds earned from employment will not be used for the support of the J-1 exchange visitor. It generally takes USCIS two months to approve an employment authorization request. For more information, contact the OIS.