Get more information as a visiting J-1 professional at Champlain.
J-1 exchange scholars are usually visiting artists, lecturers, postdoctoral candidates doing research, or professors at Champlain.
They are invited officially by Champlain College to perform specialized services (i.e. teaching, lecturing, observing, demonstrating specialized skills, etc) for a specific time period.
This section is for those who have been officially invited by the College and are seeking immigration, arrival, orientation, and other information.
Step 1:
Please download and complete the Champlain College Request For Form DS-2019: Certificate of Eligibility for Exchange Visitor (J-1) Status – For Scholars Only.
Step 2:
Gather a copy of your biographical information page of your passport and copies of your funding documentation (bank statements, letters of support/affidavits, etc).
Step 3:
Download and complete both the Champlain College J-1 Scholar Statement of Health Insurance and the Champlain College J-1 Scholar English Proficiency Statement.
Step 4:
Scan and submit via email to the Director of the Office of International Student Services at jkarki@champlain.edu the following completed documentation:
Step 5:
Wait for the Director Director of the Office of International Student Services to reach out to you to discuss with instructions.
Now that you have been issued your Form DS-2019, the next step is to apply for your J-1 visa.
We are looking forward to your arrival at Champlain College! If you follow the instructions outlined below, you should be able to enter the United States without difficulty.
As a J-1 Scholar, you will be asked to attend a required International Scholar Orientation before the start of classes. The Director of the Office of International Student Services will arrange this with you before your arrival. This is a mandatory requirement of the J-1 Program and must be completed no later than the first week of employment.
You are 100% responsible for your immigration status and following the rules of your status.
Champlain College is 100% responsible for reporting in SEVIS whether or not you are maintaining your status.
SEVIS:
Student and Exchange Visitor Information System. After 9/11, the Department of Homeland Security built a database to monitor and report on the activities of F, M, and J students/scholars and their schools.
RO/ARO:
Responsible Officer/Alternate Responsible Officer. A RO or ARO helps you understand the rules of your status and reports whether or not you are maintaining your status in SEVIS. This person is specifically trained in U.S. immigration regulations regarding J-1 exchange visitors, including scholars. At Champlain College, the RO is the Director of the Office of International Student Services (Skiff Hall, 205B).
STATUS:
Permission to be in the United States for a period of time for a specific activity. You were given your status by the Customs and Border Protection inspector either in your passport as a stamp or on your electronic I-94 printout. Your passport or electronic I-94 printout should read “J-1 D/S”.
DS-2019:
Form DS-2019 certifies that a specific sponsor has brought you to the U.S. for a specific program in a specific field of study.
By signing your Form DS-2019 on Page 1, you agree to obey the rules of J-1 status.
If you obey these rules outlined above, you are “maintaining your status.”
Please consult with your RO should you ever have questions regarding your J-1 status.
J-1 professors and research scholars may be permitted to engage in occasional lectures or consultations while they are working on their program in the United States. Please be advised that these lectures and consultations are one-time events. Teaching a semester-long course at another institution is not considered occasional employment.
Please see the Director of the Office of International Student Services BEFORE engaging in any employment either inside or outside of Champlain College.
INA 212(e) Home Residence Requirement applies only to J-1 exchange visitors. As the section states, the exchange visitor, if subject, must reside and be physically present in their home country for a total of two years. In addition, while being subject to 212(e), J-1 exchange visitors are ineligible for H, L, or K, or permanent resident statuses and cannot change from J to any other nonimmigrant status within the United States.
When determining whether or not a person is eligible for the J-1 professor or research scholar status, a college or university must verify whether or not he or she has ever been in J-1 status before, the J-1 category (or categories) he or she has been given, and the duration of the program(s) in the United States.
The 12-month bar is determined by verifying whether or not the visitor was physically present in the United States as a J-1 visa holder (in any J-1 category) in the 12 months preceding the new proposed program start date. The question being asked is: Has this person been present in the U.S. in the previous 12 months as a J-1 visa holder? If the answer is “yes”, the visitor is not eligible for J-1 professor or research scholar status. The exceptions to the 12-month bar are:
The 24-month bar should not be confused with the Two-Year Home Residency Requirement detailed above.
The 24-month bar is determined by verifying whether or not the visitor has been in J-1 professor or research scholar status in the United States in the last two years, or 24 months. If the answer is “yes”, the visitor is barred from returning to the United States in J-1 professor and research scholar statuses and must wait two years before entering the country in those two statuses. Many RO/AROs refer to this as the bar on “repeat participation.”
J-2 visa holders are the spouse and/or unmarried children under 21 years of age who accompany or later join the J-1 Exchange Visitor in the United States.
J-2 visa holders are allowed to engage in full- or part-time study and they can apply to USCIS for work authorization after having arrived in the United States.
Each J-2 has his or her own DS-2019 and J-2 visa stamp in his or her passport.
If the primary J-1 exchange visitor is subject to 212(e) (the two year home residency requirement), the dependents, or J-2s, are also subject.
All J-2 visa holders must carry and maintain health insurance for the entire length of the J-1 exchange visitor’s program while in the United States.
If a J-2 wants to change to J-1 status, this would be considered a change of status and the J-2 must abide by the rules of changing status. J-2s wishing to change to J-1 status are encouraged to make an appointment with the Director of the Office of International Student Services, Jessa Karki, to discuss the options.
J-2s wishing to apply for work authorization in the United States should contact the Director of the Office of International Student Services, Jessa Karki, for more information and guidance.
Finally, a J-2 can remain in the United States as long as the primary J-1 visa holder has valid J-1 status. A J-2 is dependent on the primary J-1 visa holder. If the primary J-1 violates status and is terminated, the J-1 and their dependents must leave the United States.