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Arrival in the U.S.

J-1 Scholar Exchange Visitor Program

Overview for J-1 Scholars and Student Interns

After Arrival in the U.S.

Welcome to the University of Colorado Denver | Anschutz Medical Campus. You will join nearly 1,500 international students and scholars from almost 100 countries. We hope that your time here will be both rewarding and supportive of your personal and professional goals.

Now that you have received Form(s) DS-2019, paid the SEVIS fee, applied for J-1 and J-2 entry visas (citizens of Canada and Bermuda are exempt), and made travel arrangements, the information below will prepare you for arriving in the U.S. and the first steps after you arrive.

J-1 transfer-in scholars do not pay the SEVIS fee again or apply for visa if they do not travel. ISSS issues the DS-2019(s) after the transfer release date.

During your stay in the U.S. it is important to safeguard your immigration documents, keep copies and monitor expiration dates. ISSS is only required to keep your records for a certain period of time, so it is your responsibility to keep your own records.

During your time in the United States, it is your responsibility to ensure that your passport remains valid. An advisor will confirm the validity of your passport before approving any extension of your program or validating your DS-2019 for travel. If you need to renew or replace your passport while in the U.S., it is highly recommended that you allocate sufficient time to do so before your current passport expires. For more information on the process of renewing or replacing your passport, please contact your Embassy or Consulate in the U.S

The DS-2019 is an official form used by the United States government to keep a record of the exchange of a J-1 scholar or researcher. This form is also referred to as the "Certificate of Eligibility for Exchange Visitor (J-1) Status." A program sponsor designated by the U.S. Department of State issues the DS-2019 form, which contains important program details for the scholar, including their visit's purpose and duration, funding information, and sponsor details. To obtain a J-1 visa at a U.S. embassy or consulate overseas and to enter and maintain legal status in the U.S. as a J-1 exchange visitor, the J-1 scholar requires the DS-2019.

The DS-2019 is a crucial document for the "J" Exchange Visitor Program. The consular officer who issued your visa should have completed the Preliminary Endorsement section of the form. For Canadian citizens, this should have been done at the Port of Entry into the United States. Please note that you are only permitted to engage in activities authorized under the program and category specified on your Form DS-2019.

The document placed in your passport by the U.S. Consulate when you applied on Form DS-160 is called a visa:

  • It is only used for entry into the U.S.
  • It does not grant permission to remain in the U.S.
  • It can expire during your stay in the U.S.
  • If you apply for an extension of stay, the validity of the visa stamp is not important

However, if you leave the U.S. you must have a valid J entry visa to return in J status. See the following pages for information about travel and automatic revalidation which is an exception to needing a valid J visa to enter the U.S.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) records your arrival and departure when you enter and leave the United States. The information is collected and maintained electronically on a CBP website. It is essential to check that the I-94 contains accurate information after each entry to the U.S. In case Form I-94 for you or your J-2 dependents is not correct, contact ISSS at isss@ucdenver.edu.

To keep a record of your electronic I-94, visit the CBP website and save a copy to include with your other immigration documents. Also provide a copy of the new I-94 to ISSS each time you travel outside the U.S. and re-enter.

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