Information for Current Grantees - J-1 Status and Travel Abroad

This section includes important information on how to maintain your J-1 visa status while participating in your Fulbright Program in the United States. Here you will find policies and procedures on traveling abroad and re-entry, information on the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) and National Security Entry-Exit Registration System (NSEERS) databases, the US-VISIT program, and J-1 visa terminology.

• Travel Outside the United States
  
• Re-entry Procedures
• J-1 Visa Renewal
• Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS)
• National Security Entry-Exit Registration System (NSEERS)
• US-VISIT Program
• J-1 Important Terms
  

TRAVEL OUTSIDE THE UNITED STATES

When you enter the United States for the first time, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer at your port-of-entry will stamp your Form DS-2019 in Box 6, validating your first entry into the U.S. on your J-1 visa.

For subsequent travel outside of the United States, you should have the IIE Regional Contact sign in the box located in the lower right-hand corner of your DS-2019 form (“Travel Validation By Responsible Officer”) at least once during the academic year. The signature indicates that you are maintaining your J-1 status. Your J-2 Dependent will also need a travel signature on his or her DS-2019, if he or she will travel outside of the United States.

The travel signature issued by your IIE Regional Contact is valid for 12 months after the date of issue, or until the end date of your DS-2019, whichever comes first.

Only your IIE Regional Contact can sign the DS-2019 form. The advisors in the International Office at your academic institution cannot sign your DS-2019. You should mail the DS-2019 to your IIE Regional Office and include an address to which your form should be returned, your dates of travel, and your contact details while you are abroad.

RE-ENTRY PROCEDURES

In order to re-enter the United States after travel to another country you will need:

In addition, it is strongly recommended that you carry:

If the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer at the port-of-entry cannot verify your information or you do not have all of the required documentation, you may be directed to an interview known as “secondary inspection.” This will allow the official to conduct additional research in order to verify your information, without causing delays for other arriving individuals.

Note: All of the above information also applies to your traveling J-2 Dependents.

For comprehensive information on procedures for traveling and arriving in the U.S. go to:

SHORT TRIPS TO CANADA, MEXICO, OR THE CARIBBEAN ISLANDS:

If you intend to visit Canada, Mexico or the Caribbean Islands for less than 30 days and the J-1 visa in your passport has expired, you do not need to obtain a new visa for re-entry into the U.S. This process is called Automatic Revalidation.


As you leave the U.S., do not surrender your I-94 card (Arrival-Departure Record), which is stapled inside your passport. Instead:

Note: If during your short visit of less than 30 days to Canada, Mexico, or the Caribbean you choose to apply to renew your J-1 visa and your application is denied, the denial will be reflected in your passport and you will NOT be permitted to re-enter the United States If during your visit you have not applied to renew your J-1 visa, you may still re-enter the United States using your expired visa, along with the supporting documents mentioned above.

Exceptions to Automatic Revalidation:

Citizens of Iran, Iraq, Syria, Libya, Sudan, North Korea and Cuba are not eligible to use the automatic revalidation process and must have a valid J-1 visa to enter the U.S.

Citizens of these countris who intend to visit Canada, Mexico, or the Caribbean Islands for more than 30 days, must have a valid J-1 visa for re-entry into the U.S.

J-1 VISA RENEWAL

If you need to renew your J-1 visa, contact the U.S. Embassy or Consulate in the country you are visiting. Application procedures for U.S. visas vary across U.S. Embassies, and some U.S. Embassies or Consulates will serve only nationals of the country in which the U.S. Embassy or Consulate is located. You should consult the Department of State website at http://www.UnitedStatesVisas.gov and click on 'Locate a Consular Office to get specific information.'

Along with your application for the J-1 visa, you will be required to submit:

Please note that you may also be required to attend an in-person interview at the U.S. Embassy or Consulate. The U.S. Embassy or Consulate will outline these procedures for you. To find out typical wait times to obtain an exchange visitor visa go to: http://travel.state.gov/visa/tempvisitors_wait.php.


APPLYING FOR A VISA IN A THIRD COUNTRY:

If you are planning to travel to a country that is not your home country (referred to as a "third" country), and your J-1 visa has expired, you will need a new J-1 visa to return to the United States. It is very difficult for students and scholars to renew their visas at a U.S. Embassy or Consulate in a third country. If you choose to renew your visa in a third country and you are denied the visa, you will need to return to your home country and apply for the visa there. As there is no guarantee that you will be issued a visa in either case, please consider your travel plans carefully before departing.

STUDENT AND EXCHANGE VISITOR INFORMATION SYSTEM (SEVIS)

As of August 1, 2003, the United States Government mandated that an Internet-based system be implemented to enable schools and the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services (CIS), formerly the Immigration and Naturalization Service, to exchange information on the immigration and academic status of international students, scholars, and their dependents, nationwide. This program, called the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS), is also used by the U.S. government to track the arrivals and departures of international exchange visitors, as well as continued enrollment, academic training, on-campus employment, and other important related activities.

Through our normal administrative processing of grant renewals and visa sponsorship extensions, IIE will provide you and each of your J-2 dependents with a SEVIS DS-2019 form, which you will need in order to obtain a new entry visa.


NATIONAL SECURITY ENTRY-EXIT REGISTRATION SYSTEM (NSEERS)

Upon entering the United States, some grantees will require additional inspection and will be required to register with the National Security Entry-Exit Registration System (NSEERS). This is also known as “Special Registration”. While anyone can be deemed subject to Special Registration, some of the determining factors for being subject may include:

Currently, grantees from the following countries are required to register with NSEERS: Afghanistan, Algeria, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Egypt, Eritrea, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, North Korea, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.

If you are identified as being subject to NSEERS, you must:

1. Register with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) upon arrival in the United States. CBP will give you directions on how to register.

2. Inform the Bureau of Citizen and Immigration Services (CIS) of any change of address within 10 days of your arrival. You must inform your IIE Regional Contact of your new address. They will then enter this information into the SEVIS database. You are required to fill out the personal information form to update any address change (including telephone number(s) or e-mail addresses).

3. If requested, you must appear in-person before a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer to confirm your compliance with J-1 visa regulations.

4. When leaving the United States, appear for an exit interview and depart through designated ports of departure only.

When leaving the United States at any point, you must depart from a designated port of departure and you must register your departure before you leave. This includes trips to Mexico, Canada or adjacent islands.

In order to register your departure, you must appear in person before an inspecting officer at a designated port of departure and leave from that port on the same day. If you have more than one connecting flight out of the United States, then your last connection should be the designated NSEERS departure port. Failure to register your departure will jeopardize any future visits to the U.S. Plan your travel wisely.


NOTE: Even if you must register with NSEERS, you must also comply with US-VISIT regulations; see below.

For more information about NSEERS, go to: http://www.ice.gov/pi/news/factsheets/nseersfs120103.htm and click on Border Security, and then Special Registration.



US-VISIT PROGRAM

Everyone entering the United States on a non-immigrant visa is subject to the US-VISIT process, including individuals who must register with NSEERS.

When you enter the United States after traveling abroad, the U.S. CBP official processing your entry will use an inkless fingerprint scanner to read your index finger print. The official will also take a digital photograph of you. Together with the standard information gathered about your identity and travel, US-VISIT will verify your identity and compliance with visa and immigration policies. Race, national origin and religion are not factors in the US-VISIT program, as it applies to ALL non-immigrant visa holders.

Canadian nationals (except those entering in E or K status) are not subject to US-VISIT.

For more information about US-VISIT, go to http://www.dhs.gov/us-visit.



J-1 IMPORTANT TERMS