Students Studying in The United States Information for Prospective J-1 Scholars

In order to be eligible for the J-1 Short-Term Scholar or J-1 Research Scholar/Professor category, the visitor must have a temporary academic appointment or a job offer for a benefited, non-tenure track position at Northeastern University.

Temporary academic appointments include the following:

• Visiting Scholar: Has a doctoral degree, holds a non-faculty position at another academic institution or non-academic institution, agency, or company
• Visiting Faculty: Holds a faculty position at another academic institution

Benefited, non-tenure track positions eligible for a J-1 visa must be research-based (e.g. Postdoc). Please contact the Human Resources Contact in your college if you have any questions about your job offer.

Additionally, prospective J-1 Scholars must:

• Demonstrate English proficiency. English is assessed by the college as part of the appointment approval or hiring process.
• Have a valid passport to request a DS-2019.
• Demonstrate adequate financial support for all living expenses for the duration of their stay in the United States. This includes additional financial support for any accompanying dependents (family members).
  • NOTE FOR VISITING STUDENTS: More than 50% of your funding must come from non-personal/non-family sources (such as a scholarship or other funding from an organization).
• Purchase and maintain health insurance that meets J-1 visa requirements for the duration of their program.

The following categories are used for exchange visitors conducting research or teaching at Northeastern University. Once you receive your DS-2019 from Northeastern, you can find your J-1 category listed in Section #4 in the middle of page 1 of your DS-2019. It is important that you understand the maximum program length and other details of your specific program category.

• Professor Category
  • Minimum program length of 3 weeks
  • Maximum program length of 5 years
  • Must have earned a minimum of a Bachelor’s degree
  • Used for exchange visitors who are predominantly engaged in teaching
  • Subject to the 24 Month Bar on Repeat Participation upon completion of program (including any J-2 dependents)
• Research Scholar Category
  • Minimum program length of 3 weeks
  • Maximum program length of 5 years
  • Must have earned a minimum of a Bachelor’s degree
  • Used for exchange visitors who are predominantly engaged in research
  • Subject to the 24 Month Bar on Repeat Participation upon completion of program (including any J-2 dependents)
• Short-Term Scholar Category
  • No minimum program length
  • Maximum program length of 6 months
  • Used for exchange visitors who engaged in research and/or teaching coming to Northeastern for a short period of time
  • Not subject to the 12 or 24 Month Bars on Repeat Participation
• Student Non-Degree Category
  • Minimum program length of 3 weeks
  • Maximum program length of 2 years
  • Used for Visiting Students and exchange students only
  • Subject to the 12 Month Bar if program length is longer than 6 months
    • This may impact you if you have plans to return as a J-1 exchange visitor in the future to conduct research in the Research Scholar category.
  • Falls under the “College/University Student” group of J-1 categories

The Certificate of Eligibility for Exchange Visitor (J-1) Status is required to apply for the J-1 visa. The DS-2019 identifies the Exchange Visitor (EV) and their sponsor and provides a brief description of the EV’s program, including the start and end date, and the exchange category. The DS-2019 is created by the Office of Global Services (OGS) using the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS).

TIMELINE:

• For Visiting Appointments (Visiting Student researchers, Visiting Scholars, Visiting Faculty): your prospective start date must be at least 4 months in the future when your invitation process starts. This is to account for the Provost Office approval process.
• For all other positions (Postdocs, Associate Research Scientists, Non-Tenure Track Faculty): your prospective start date must be at least 3 months in the future when your invitation process starts.
• Please plan accordingly and note that last minute requests or requests for expedited timelines cannot be accommodated.

In order to be issued a Form DS-2019 from OGS, you are required to show a minimum amount of funding as outlined on this page. However, please anticipate that this amount, including if you receive any Northeastern salary during your J-1 program, may not be sufficient due to high cost of living in Boston and other cities where Northeastern hosts exchange visitors.

The estimated expenses below will help you to plan accordingly to anticipate the costs for you and any family members who may be accompanying you to the U.S. J-1 scholars are expected to cover these expenses. OGS does not charge any fees directly to J-1 exchange visitors.

• J-1 Visa-Related Fees
  • I-901 SEVIS Fee (not required for most transfer-ins): $220
  • MRV Visa Application Fee (paid to Department of State): $185
  • Visa Reciprocity Fee: varies by country
  • TOTAL: $405
• Travel
  • At least one roundtrip flight to the U.S.: price varies
  • Daily commuting costs to campus: price varies
• J-1 Compliant Health Insurance
  • You will need to enroll in a health insurance plan for your entire J-1 program that meets certain Department of State minimum requirements. You can find a list of plans and estimated costs here.
    • If you are enrolling in the Northeastern University employee health plans (only available for benefits-eligible employees such as postdocs and faculty), as of 2024, you can expect to pay at least $260-$310 monthly for the J-1 only, $652-$774 monthly for J-1 and a J-2 spouse, or $704-$836 for J-1 and multiple J-2 family members. *This amount is deducted from your paycheck.
      • You will also need to purchase a separate plan that covers medical evacuation and repatriation for $45/year.
    • If you enroll in the J-1 plan through Gallagher Health & Special Risk, you must enroll in the plan “with Wellness Benefit” which, as of 2024, is $167 monthly for J-1s or $368 monthly for J-1 and J-2 dependents.
• Housing & Accommodation
  • Boston: as of 2024, prices for a 1 bedroom apartment, depending on location, vary from $1,400-$3500 per month.
• Childcare
  • Boston: can cost between $16,000-$26,000 yearly for full-time day care for J-2 dependent children.

Please refer to the J-1 Scholar Pre-Arrival Handbook for more information to help you plan for your J-1 program in the U.S.

J-1 Scholars may be eligible to transfer their SEVIS record to Northeastern from another institution if:

• They are currently in the J-1 Research Scholar/Professor/Student Non-Degree categories.
• They have not reached the maximum program duration for their J-1 category by their transfer date to Northeastern.
• There will be no change in the program objective.
• There is no gap between the program end date at the transfer-out institution and the program start date at Northeastern.

In addition to steps 1-3 above, transfer-in J-1 Scholars must also submit the SEVIS Record Transfer-In Form in addition to the required e-forms. Changing institutions requires coordination between the HR Contact, OGS, and the transfer-out institution.

PLEASE NOTE: transfer-in J-1 scholars must allow at least 1 month for e-form submission, review, and processing. This means that your proposed start date at Northeastern must be at least 1 month in the future as of the date your appointment/offer at Northeastern is confirmed.

The transfer DS-2019 for Northeastern will be issued to your Northeastern email address on the start date of your appointment at Northeastern, with further instructions regarding OGS onboarding.