J-1 Scholar Eligibility Requirements

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).
  • Purchase and maintain health insurance that meets J-1 visa requirements for the duration of their program.

J-1 Categories

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

Requesting the Initial Form DS-2019

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).

Application Process

1 The HR Contact in the host college will initiate the Visiting Scholar Request for Initial DS-2019 once the appointment is approved by the Provost's Office.

Postdocs and other posted positions are not subject to approval by the Provost’s Office.

For more information on the visiting appointments approval process, please visit the Office of the Provost’s website or reach out to the HR Contact in your college.

2 You will receive an e-mail from the myOGS system prompting you to login and complete the required e-forms.

3 The HR Contact will submit the completed application to OGS for review.

4 Once your DS-2019 is ready, you will receive an e-mail with your digitally-signed DS-2019 attached.

Please review the DS-2019 to ensure all information is accurate, then print and sign the DS-2019 at the bottom of page 1 after reading all information on page 2.

For information on the visa application process, please see Visa Process for J-1 Scholars.

Transferring From Another Institution

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 category.
  • They have not reached the five-year maximum program duration by your 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.

The transfer DS-2019 will be ready for pick-up at OGS no sooner than the program start date at Northeastern.