This page is for current and new J-1 students who have been admitted to WashU and have a DS-2019 for study. If you have a different J program sponsor (such as Fulbright), it is essential that you contact your Fulbright adviser regarding maintaining status and authorizations related to enrollment or work.
Maintaining your J-1 visa status
The Office for International Students and Scholars (OISS) will maintain your Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) record based on your reporting and applications. OISS is required to validate your SEVIS record upon arrival and continue to monitor your record to confirm that you are maintaining your J-1 immigration status. Do the following to maintain J-1 status (note this is not an exhaustive list):
- Check-in with OISS upon arrival and attend orientation (1st semester of attendance at WashU)
- Complete the online required F-1/J-1 Immigration Course
- Enroll full-time in coursework
- Make normal progress toward completing your course of study
- Follow employment regulations – work only with authorization
- Do not engage in unauthorized activity
- Report your contact information within ten (10) days of the change
- Keep your documents valid
J-1 documents
As regulated by the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP), OISS keeps J records and documents for three (3) years following completion of studies or post-completion work authorization period. Remember to keep copies of all of your immigration documents. Originals should be kept safe and used for limited purposes, including travel, immigration applications and social security applications.
As the host of your academic program, WashU issues this form to you. At the time of your visa application, the U.S. consulate reviews this form. When you enter the country, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) examines and returns it to you at the U.S. port of entry. The DS-2019 must remain valid and up-to-date during your stay in the U.S. in J-1 status.
If any information on your DS-2019 is incorrect, notify your OISS adviser immediately. If your DS-2019 is lost or stolen, download your most recent DS-2019 in your MyOISS account. If any information on the DS-2019 changes at any point after the DS-2019 is issued, notify OISS by submitting a request via the MyOISS platform. To maintain your student status, you must have valid immigration documents in your possession, including a valid DS-2019.
All nonimmigrants must have a valid passport to enter and remain in the U.S. In most cases, your passport needs to be valid for the next six (6) months any time you seek admission into the U.S. Do not let your passport expire while staying in the U.S. or you could lose eligibility for certain benefits. Students who are citizens of countries that are part of the Six-Month Club are exempt from this rule.
Contact your home government regarding the renewal of your passport well in advance of its expiration. Each country has different procedures and processing times for extending a passport. The home country embassy website should have instructions regarding passport renewal.
If your passport is lost or stolen, immediately call the WashU police (WUPD) to report it. You need this police report when applying for a replacement from your home government. You will obtain a new passport directly with the embassy or consulate.
Form I-94 is the official arrival/departure record issued to a nonimmigrant upon entry into the U.S. by Custom and Border Protection (CBP). I-94 details your admission status (J-1), date of entry and your period of authorized stay in the U.S. CBP will record this information electronically, and you should access and print it on the CBP website. Sometimes a CBP officer will also stamp this information directly into your passport.
For J-1 students, I-94 period of authorized stay is noted as “Duration of Status (D/S),” which is defined as:
- the time during which you are pursuing a full course of study and making normal progress toward completing your studies
- if applicable, the time you are working in authorized academic training after completion of studies
- a 30-day grace period during which you can prepare to depart the country or apply for a change to another visa status
Duration of status is limited by the end date listed on your current DS-2019. If you need more time to complete your program, you must apply for a extension before the end date on your DS-2019.
A new I-94 is issued every time you enter the U.S. It is important the you check the I-94 every time you travel to ensure that the correct status (J-1) and duration (D/S) is recorded on the form. If you see incorrect information on your I-94, notify your OISS adviser immediately.
Unless you are Canadian citizen, you must have a valid J-1 visa stamp (also referred to as “visa”) in your passport to be eligible to enter the U.S. in J-1 status. The U.S. Department of State (DOS) will not issue your visa stamp until you receive your DS-2019. A visa stamp is an entry permit valid for a specific time frame. It allows you to seek admission into the U.S., but it neither guarantees admission into the country nor determines the length of legal stay. Therefore, the expiration of your visa does not affect permission to stay or work in the U.S.
The receipt is proof to the U.S. consulate that you have paid the SEVIS fee. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) charges the SEVIS fee for administration and maintenance of the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS). SEVIS monitors and tracks F-1 students, J-1 Exchange Visitors and their dependents.
Once you receive your DS-2019, you must pay the SEVIS fee by completing an I-901 Fee Remittance form online. Print the payment confirmation after payment is complete. If you are already in J-1 status and transferring your SEVIS record to WashU, you do not have to pay this fee again.
J-1 students who have paid their required I‑901 SEVIS fee can access FMJfee.com on their mobile devices. The mobile‑friendly site will provide news and updates regarding the SEVIS fee, as well as answers to frequently asked questions.
Be sure to retain a copy of the SEVIS fee receipt for visa application and travel purposes.
Considerations for doctoral students
WashU is proud to host international doctoral students in a number of disciplines across campus. As a doctoral student, there are two stages to your academic program. The first is completion of coursework that is required to obtain your degree. The second is thesis/dissertation research and writing. OISS will work with you during each stage. Find more information below:
Doctoral Student Status
Employment
J-1 students are allowed to work on-campus no more than 20 hours per week during the regular semester. Off-campus employment may also be available as Academic Training (AT). However, OISS must pre-authorize any and all employment.
For more information on employment regulations and how to receive authorization, visit the Employment & Taxes page.
Program extensions
J-1 students have a 30-day grace period to remain in the U.S. upon completion of their academic program or their Academic Training period. However, if you need additional time to complete your academic program, you must apply for a program extension. You are eligible to extend your DS-2019 if all of the following are true:
- the end date on your current DS-2019 has not passed
- you have continually maintained status
- you are unable to finish your academic program by the end date on your DS-2019 because of compelling academic or medical reasons
To request an extension based on an academic reason, you must submit the DS-2019 Extension request in MyOISS. Your academic adviser must approve the reason(s) for delayed completion of your program and provide the new expected date of completion. If the reason for the extension is medical, you need authorization from WashU Cares (for Danforth Students) or Student Health Services (for Med Campus). You must provide new financial documents if your funding has changed.
If your extension request is approved, OISS will authorize it in SEVIS and provide you with an updated DS-2019 showing the new program end date.
If your expected end date does not match the end of a semester, contact your OISS adviser for the appropriate form.
If you do not meet the eligibility requirements for a program extension, you will be considered “out of status” if you remain in the U.S. beyond your current DS-2019 end date. Contact your OISS adviser to learn about requirements for a DS-2019 extension.
Health insurance
Department of State (DOS) J-1 Exchange Visitor (EV) Program regulations require that J-1 EVs and their J-2 dependents carry health insurance meeting specific minimum standards (Code of Federal Regulations – 22 CFR 62.14) during the entire length of their J program. This includes periods of authorized academic training. Failure to maintain required insurance coverage can result in termination of J status.
- Medical benefits of at least $100,000 per accident or illness;
- Repatriation of remains in the amount of $25,000;
- Expenses associated with the medical evacuation of exchange visitors to his or her home country in the amount of $50,000; and
- Deductibles not to exceed $500 per accident or illness.
- May require a waiting period for pre-existing conditions that is reasonable as determined by current industry standards;
- May include provisions for co-insurance under the terms of which the exchange visitor may be required to pay up to 25% of the covered benefits per accident or illness; and
- Shall not unreasonably exclude coverage for perils inherent to the activities of the exchange program in which the exchange visitor participates.
- Underwritten by an insurance corporation having an A.M. Best rating of “A−” or above; a McGraw Hill Financial/Standard & Poor’s Claims-paying Ability rating of “A−” or above; a Weiss Research, Inc. rating of “B+” or above; a Fitch Ratings, Inc. rating of “A−” or above; a Moody’s Investor Services rating of “A3” or above; or such other rating as the Department of State may from time to time specify; or
- Backed by the full faith and credit of the government of the exchange visitor’s home country; or
- Part of a health benefits program offered on a group basis to employees or enrolled students by a designated sponsor; or
- Offered through or underwritten by a federally qualified Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) or eligible Competitive Medical Plan (CMP) as determined by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
All full-time J-1 students have automatic mandatory health insurance coverage through WashU’s Habif Health and Wellness Center that meets all of the DOS requirements. The fee for this coverage will be billed to the student’s WashU account each semester.
Note that students on Academic Training (AT) work authorization may be required to procure their own health insurance plan that meets DOS requirements.
SEVIS transfers
To transfer schools, the J-1 must notify the current J-1 sponsor of the intent to transfer. If the program sponsor is WashU and the transfer is recommended, the program can be updated to reflect the intent to transfer out of the program. Submit a Transfer Out request in MyOISS to complete the SEVIS transfer-out process.
The new sponsor will be able to issue the DS-2019 for the new program after the date when the student is released to the new school. Contact your OISS adviser to request a SEVIS transfer.
212(e) Two-year home residence requirement
The J-1 EV immigration status is meant to be temporary and encourage the exchange of knowledge of skills between countries. Therefore, immigration regulations limit the activities that many EVs can participate in their J-1 EV program ends. OISS can help determine whether someone is submit to the two-year residence requirement.
212(e) Two-year residence requirement
Failure to maintain status
J-1 students have a 30-day grace period to remain in the U.S. upon completion of their academic program or their Academic Training period.
The Illegal Immigrant Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 imposes certain penalties on those who overstay their status in the U.S. and those who are “unlawfully” present for certain periods of time. The law provides penalties for those who stay beyond the period authorized and those who are unlawfully present. If a student stays beyond their authorized time period, they are deemed to have violated their student status and will begin to accrue unlawful presence.
The visa of an individual who stays beyond the authorized period is automatically considered void (even if it appears to be valid in the student’s passport). All future nonimmigrant visa applications must be made in the country of nationality unless the circumstances have been defined as “extraordinary” by the Department of State (DOS).
| Overstay period | U.S. admission ban period |
| More than 180 days but less than 1 year | 3 years |
| More than 1 year | 10 years |
What to do if you fall out of status
Failure to maintain J-1 status has long lasting consequences that affect your eligibility to study at WashU and to obtain other statuses in the future.
If you fail to maintain status, you may not be able to continue to study at WashU until you have taken the appropriate steps to restore status, if possible. If you believe that you have failed to maintain your status, it is important to notify OISS immediately. Do not ignore this issue as it can make your status situation worse.
Disclaimer statement
Advice on this webpage is specific to J-1 students sponsored by WashU. If you have a different J program sponsor (such as Fulbright), it is essential that you contact your Fulbright adviser regarding maintaining status and authorizations related to enrollment or work.