Family & Work Visa Plan : Short-Term Scholar Program J1 visa
The Short-Term Scholar Program was designed to enable professors, research scholars and other individuals with specialized knowledge or skills to travel to the USA on a short-term visit to lecture, observe, consult, train or demonstrate their special skills.
Short-Term Scholar Program J1 visa
The J1 is a non-immigrant visa issued to a person participating in the United States Exchange Visitor Program, or EVP. The Short-Term Scholar Program is one of the 15 categories of the EVP.
The EVP’s J1 visa is one of the most diverse visas for going to the United States and is designed to enable non-Americans to travel within the United States and study or work there as a sponsored exchange visitor while immersing themselves in the local culture and lifestyle. The visionary EVP was created to foster greater understanding between the United States and other countries through educational and cultural exchanges.
Over 550,000 persons representing 200 countries and territories visited the United States under the aegis of the J1 Exchange Visitor Program every year before the Covid-19 pandemic. Currently California hosts the largest number of exchange visitors, followed by New York and Florida. Internationally, China, Great Britain and Germany have been the top three countries from where J1 visa holders come.
What is the Short-Term Scholar Program J1 visa?
The Short-Term Scholar Program was designed to enable professors, research scholars and other individuals with specialized knowledge or skills to travel to the USA on a short-term visit to lecture, observe, consult, train or demonstrate their special skills. They may not stay any longer than six months but during that period they may engage with research institutions, museums, libraries, accredited post-secondary colleges and universities and so on.
The J-1 Short-Term Scholar category is ideal for people with specialized knowledge or skills living outside the US who may from time-to-time be invited for short visits to participate in academic and professional activities such as lectures, participation in conferences, workshops or consultations, and so on. The J-1 Short-Term Scholar may return to the US again for a new Short-Term Scholar stay if there is a reasonable break between the visits and if the new short-term activity differs substantially from the previous one. Such a difference could be a change of subject or a research project that is moving into a new stage.
Like all other exchange programs, the Short-Term Scholar Program is a great opportunity for you to experience American culture and lifestyle while sharing or developing your special professional expertise.
Once the program ends, you will be expected to return to your home country.
One of the advantages of the Short-Term Scholar Program is that it does not restrict you from reapplying and visiting the United States again soon after your program is over, either in another Short-Term Scholar Program or something different such as a Professor or Research Scholar Program.
Who is eligible for a J1 Short-Term Scholar Program visa?
To be eligible for a Short-Term Scholar Program J1 visa, you should —
- Be a non-US professor or research scholar in a field of specialized knowledge or skill with genuine expertise in the field.
- Have an academic objective that can be achieved within six months.
- Have a letter of invitation or offer from a host or sponsor institution such as a university or research centre.
- Be competent in oral and written English.
- Demonstrate sufficient funds, either through sponsorship or through your personal sources to support yourself during your stay in the United States.
How long can you stay in the US with a J1 Short-Term Scholar Program visa?
With a J1 visa under the Short-Term Scholar Program, you can stay for a maximum of six months. Extensions are not allowed. If you anticipate that your work might extend beyond six months, consider applying for the EVP’s Research Scholar Program or the Professor Program instead of the Short-Term Scholar category.
In the case of the Short-Term Scholar Program, the EVP’s usual minimum requirement of a three-week program duration has been waived. Your visit may be as short as a single day.
At the end of your program, you are allowed a 30-day grace period to settle your affairs and prepare to return. You cannot take on employment during this period, and overstaying can have serious repercussions for any future trip you may undertake to the US. During the grace period, you will not be under the J1 visa any longer but under the jurisdiction of the Immigration and Naturalization Services. If you cross the US border to Canada or Mexico, you may not be allowed re-entry.
How do you apply for a Short-Term Scholar Program J1 visa?
Many applicants will be considering applying for a Short-Term Scholar Program J1 visa after being invited by a US-based host institution to visit the United States to give a lecture or speech, consult, attend a workshop or conference, and so on. In these cases, the host organization will usually generate the approvals and forms you will need to apply for a J1 visa.
1. Find an approved program sponsor: This step applies to those who want to enter the United States to conduct research, observe and so on. Their first step in applying for the Short-Term Scholar Program J1 visa is finding a designated sponsor. To see a list of 861 designated and approved Short-Term Scholar Program sponsors, click here. Unlike several other exchange visitor programs, where third-party agencies are designated to oversee candidate selection, visa sponsorship and visa procurement, with the Short-Term Scholar Program, the approved sponsors are all academic, research and other institutions with whom you will work directly once they find you eligible for the J1 visa and agree to sponsor you.
2. Get a DS-2019 Certificate of Eligibility for Exchange Visitor Status: Once your host or sponsor ascertains that you are eligible and accepts you, you will be issued a document called the DS-2019 Certificate of Eligibility for Exchange Visitor Status, attesting that you are eligible and have been selected to participate in the Short-Term Scholar Program. Form DS-2019 is a key document in your J1 visa application.
3. Enter your name in the SEVIS database. Your host or sponsoring institution will usually enter your details in the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) database. There is a $220 charge for this.
4. Apply for a DS-160 J1 non-immigrant visa: Once you have your DS-2019 Certificate of Eligibility you need to apply for a nonimmigrant J1 visa using the application form DS-160. There is a charge of about $160 for this, and you will receive an online receipt which you must carry to your interview. The application process can be completed online here.
5. Book an interview appointment with the US consulate.
What documents are required for a Short-Term Scholar Program J1 visa interview?
The following is a minimum list of documents that you must carry to the interview.
- Passport: Valid for at least 6 months after the end date of your program.
- Letter of Offer: Have a letter of invitation or offer from your host or sponsoring institution where you will be working. The letter should state what activity they have invited you for, as well as its duration, which should be not more than six months.
- Form DS-2019 (Certificate of Eligibility for Exchange Visitor Status). This will be issued by your sponsoring institution once they have ascertained your eligibility to take part in the Short-Term Scholar Program.
- Receipt for Form DS-160 non-immigrant visa application. Once you apply for the DS-160 online and pay the visa fees of $160, you will receive a receipt, which you must carry to the interview.
- SEVIS fee payment confirmation. This is normally $220. The sponsor may require you to pay this, or pay it themselves and share the confirmation document with you.
- Photograph. A complete description of the format requirements is here.
- Consulate appointment confirmation.
You will be informed if you are required to furnish any other documents.
How much does a J1 Short-Term Scholar Program visa cost?
Unlike other exchange programs that are mediated through approved third-party sponsor agencies, which levy their own fees, the Short-Term Scholar Program is coordinated directly by your host or sponsoring research or academic institution. The two main applicable fees are listed below —
DS-160 Non-Immigrant Visa Application processing fee: This is currently US$ 160 but may be subject to change. Check with the local US Embassy or Consulate for up to date fees.
SEVIS database. The cost of having your name entered in the SEVIS database is usually around $220.
Visa Issuance fee: In some countries, an additional Visa Issuance fee may be charged when the visa is issued and could be around $220. Check with the local US Embassy or Consulate for up to date fees.
Restrictions of the J1 Short-Term Scholar Program visa
The J1 Short-Term Scholar Program visa is not subject to a so-called Home Residency Requirement, which needs you to return to your home country once the program ends and remain resident there for an aggregate of two years before becoming eligible to re-enter the United States. There is also no restriction on returning to the United States on a new Short-Term Scholar Program J1 visa as long as it has a significantly different purpose from the previous one. A person who has entered the US on a Short-Term Scholar Program may re-enter without restriction under a new Short-Term Scholar Program, provided its objectives are distinctly different from the previous one, or another EVP category such as a Professor or Research Scholar Program.
Need more help?
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Short-Term Scholars were not prohibited from entering the USA under the J1 visa by Proclamation 10052, titled Proclamation Suspending Entry of Aliens Who Present a Risk to the U.S. Labor Market Following the Coronavirus Outbreak.
The proclamation, which suspended entry into the United States of many non-US citizens, became effective from June 24, 2020. The proclamation expired on March 31, 2021, and has been neither renewed nor replaced by the Biden administration. In all cases, participants of the Short-Term Scholar Program were not affected.
Please check with your nearest US Embassy or Consulate for up to date information.