Report to the Office of Global Services Upon Arrival

J-1 Visiting Students must report to the Office of Global Services (OGS) upon arrival to the United States by attending J-1 Visiting Student Orientation. J-1 Visiting Students must attend orientation within 30 days after the program start date. Please see J-1 Visiting Student Arrival for more details.

Maintain Up-to-Date Immigration Documents

J-1 Visiting Students must have:

  • A passport that is valid at least six months into the future at all times, especially upon entry or re-entry to the U.S.
    • Passports must be renewed before they expire.
    • Passport renewals are done through the Embassy or Consulate of the country issuing the passport.
  • A valid DS-2019
  • An accurate I-94 admission record
    • Class of Admission: J/1
    • Admit Until Date: D/S
    • Retrieve an updated I-94 every time you re-enter the U.S. during your program.
    • J-1 Visiting Students entering the U.S. by a land border should follow these I-94 application instructions.

The J-1 visa stamp does not need to be valid to maintain lawful presence in the U.S. However, J-1 Visiting Students must have a valid J-1 visa to enter the U.S. anytime they travel internationally.

OGS recommends keeping scanned and hard copies of all immigration documents.

Report Changes to Your Information

J-1 Visiting Students must report any changes to their address and/or U.S. phone number to OGS within 10 calendar days of the change by submitting an Address Update eForm in their myOGS account (see the “Scholars and Researchers” section on your account main page).

If there are proposed changes to your Northeastern site of activity, or changes in the source or amount of your funding, you must notify OGS in advance of these changes.

Maintain Active Health Insurance

Federal regulations require all J-1 Visiting Students and J-2 dependents to obtain health insurance for the duration of their program. J-1 Visiting Students who extend their program duration must ensure that their health insurance is extended to cover their stay. Please see Health Insurance Requirements for J-1 Visiting Students for more details.

Incidental Employment is Not Permitted

J-1 Visiting Students are only authorized to engage in the activity for which their DS-2019 has been issued. J-1 Visiting Students can engage in this activity for a maximum of 20 hours per week.

Consequences of unauthorized employment

J-1 Visiting Students who engage in unauthorized employment are not able to obtain retroactive work authorization from OGS. Any work done without proper work authorization is considered unauthorized employment and may lead to the termination of your SEVIS record.

Failure to maintain J-1 status may be considered unlawful presence by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).