The Exchange Visitor's Program
The Graduate Center of The City University of New York established an Exchange Visitors Program (EVP) to provide courses of study, lecturing, and research opportunities, in the various fields of instruction and research it conducts for qualified foreign students, professors, research scholars, short-term scholars and specialists to promote the general interest of international educational and cultural exchange.
The Program was established under provisions of the Mutual Education and Cultural Exchange Act of 1961 and is regulated by the United States Department of State. Program regulations follow:
J-1 Visa Status
An exchange visitor who has been invited by The Graduate Center must enter the United States on a J-1 visa. The Graduate Center will issue a DS-2019 (Certificate of Eligibility for Exchange Visitor Status) necessary to obtain this status.
Health Insurance
U.S. government regulations require all J-1 exchange visitors and their dependents (J-2 visa holders) to have insurance coverage throughout their entire stay in the U.S.
Financial Support
The minimum amount of monthly financial support expected for a single person is estimated to be $2000 per month. For a married couple with children the amount required would be at least $2500 to $3000 a month. Monthly charges for insurance coverage if purchased in the U.S. could range from $50 for one person to $350 per month for a family.
Employment While Visiting
Exchange Visitors are limited by government regulations in the type of employment they may accept. Authorization for any incidental employment must be obtained from the sponsor prior to any employment activity.
Family Members
An accompanying spouse and unmarried children under 21 years of age of the Exchange Visitor enters the U.S. on a J-2 visa. They must meet the same health insurance requirements as the J-1 exchange visitor.
Dependent Employment
Dependents of J-1 exchange visitors may apply for employment authorization to DHS, US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). They are eligible to work once an Employment Authorization Document is issued. To learn more, select: http://www.uscis.gov (navigate to employment authorization/work permit).
Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS)
All Exchange Visitor Program participants are registered in the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS), a U.S. government database to collect, maintain and manage student and exchange visitor data.
SEVIS Fees
Effective September 1, 2004, The U.S. Department of Home- land Security required that all new Exchange Visitor Program participants, applying for a visa must pay a $100 SEVIS fee. Spouses and dependent children of exchange visitors are exempt from the SEVIS fee. This is mandatory fee and must be paid before you go to the U.S. Embassy or Consulate for your visa interview. Information on SEVIS fee procedures are available at: https://www.fmjfee.com/index.jhtml
Additional information on SEVIS fee procedures for The Graduate Center is available here.
Conditions and Limitations for J-1 Immigration Status
Five Year Time Limit: The U.S. Department of State (DOS) implemented new 5-year program participation rule for Professor and Research Scholar categories in the Exchange Visitor Program (EVP). Under the new rule, Professors and Research Scholars in a J-1 program may remain in the U.S for up to five years. During the 5-year period a scholar may participate in one or more programs and may extend and/ or transfer program sponsors. It is a continuous five year period calculated in calendar years given to participants on a “use or lose” basis. The five year period begins on the program begin date identified in the DS-2019 form and this status remains available until the end of five years or the date the J-1 program is concluded, whichever is earlier.
Two Year Bar: The rule also established a new 2-year bar on repeat participation in the J-1 Professor and Research Scholar categories. The bar forbids J-1 visitors in either the “professor” or “research scholar” category from returning to the U.S. for two years after the completion of a program. The two year bar applies under two circumstances:
- If the Professor or Research Scholar completes full five year program participation with one or more sponsors; or
- If before the full five year period is over, the Professor or Research Scholar completes his or her program. The continuity of five-year period is broken in this case and the five year window is closed. The individual is not eligible to access the remaining unused time as the individual must wait for two years before they can begin a new program as J Professor or Research Scholar.
Please note that this bar does not apply to scholars who come to the US as a Short-Term Scholar whose visit is less than six months. A visitor in the Short-Term Scholar category can not be extended beyond six months and the visitor is required to return to the home country at the end of the program.
It is recommended that any J-1 visitor in the Research Scholar or Professor category who may have future plans to return to the US for academic exchange within the next two years, after their program completion at the Graduate Center, must consult Ms. Yosette Jones Johnson or Sara Oommen on this matter.
Twelve Month Bar: This bar applies to individuals who have been physically present in the U.S. in any J status for all or part of the preceding twelve-month period immediately prior to the proposed start date of a new J program. This applies to all categories except short term scholars, and including J-2 status.
The Two Year Home Residency Requirement: Some Exchange Visitor Program participants may be required to return home for at least two years after completing their programs before they can change or adjust to certain nonimmigrant or immigrant statuses. This is called the two-year home residency requirement of Section 212(e) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA).
Information on Exchange Visitor Visas and arrival is available at:
http://travel.state.gov/visa/temp/types/types_1267.html
http://www.ice.gov/sevis/factsheet/100104ent_exchng_fs.htm
For Further Information
GSUC Exchange Visitor's Program Procedures
