The U.S. Department of State requires that all new J-1 Exchange Visitor Scholars participate in an orientation program provided by the program sponsor. At WashU, the Office of International Student and Scholar Services (OISS) delivers this important orientation information via an online course that you can complete at your own pace. Topics covered in the J-1 Scholar Orientation course include:
- The purpose of the Exchange Visitor (EV) Program
- J-1 Immigration documents and terminology to understand
- Requirements to maintain your J-1 EV status
- Travel, safety and WashU resources
- Adjusting to life in the U.S., at WashU and much more!
The course takes about two hours to complete and you can do so at your own pace. If you don’t finish in one sitting, you can easily return and continue from where you left off.
After completing the course, you will receive a Certificate of Completion, which is required for your immigration check-in with OISS upon arrival to campus. This is a required course.
Accessing the course is easy. The course is available in the “Homebase” platform, which may be used to share additional information throughout your time at WashU. Save your Homebase login (email address and password) for future access. Follow the instructions below:
Homebase account creation to access WashU’s J-1 Scholar Orientation course:
- Go to the Homebase Create Account page.
- Enter basic biographical information and create a password.
- Make note of the email address you use to create your account and the password you set so that you can return to Homebase as needed.
- Click the blue “Create Account” button at the bottom.
- Begin the WashU J-1 Scholar Orientation course.
The Homebase Create Account screen will look like this:
To return to Homebase once you have created your account:
Bookmark this Homebase Login page to return to Homebase at anytime.