J-1 Advising for Beginners

Designed for the new Responsible Officer or Alternate Responsible Officer, learn all of the basic regulatory aspects of the J Exchange Visitor Program. You will explore key J-1 advising issues including eligibility, DS-2019 issuance, health insurance, maintenance of status, extension, transfer, 212(e), repeat participation, and employment. New advisers will gain a relevant overview of the current regulatory issues and have the opportunity to think through how these concepts are applied to your specific educational context.

Workshop Objectives

• determine eligibility requirements, DS-2019 issuance procedures, and health insurance compliance standards for J-1 exchange visitors; 
• apply the rules for maintaining status, extending programs, and processing transfers to real advising scenarios; 
• assess when 212(e) applies and how it affects a participant's options for repeat participation or a change of status; 
• distinguish permissible from impermissible employment activities for J-1 exchange visitors;
• locate the resources and tools needed to research and resolve day-to-day J program administration questions; and resolve common exchange visitor issues using sound regulatory judgment.

Workshop Agenda

• Understanding the J program
• Introduction to SEVIS
• DS-2019 preparation
• Sending pre-arrival information
• Obtaining J-1 status
• Orientation
• Maintaining J status
• Work authorization
• Two-year home country residence requirement
• J-2 dependents
• Extensions, transfers, and end of program issues

What Participants Are Saying

• "Great workshop. I both learned new things and also had regulations re-enforced." - Annual Conference participant
• "This was my very first introduction to information about J-1. They laid out the basics, including general vocabulary, which really helped me." - Annual Conference participant
• "The encouragement of table discussions helped me learn from experiences that others had, as well as things to look out for! I enjoyed the conversation." - Annual Conference participant
• "This session was great. The trainers were patient, respectful of each other and the trainees, and very entertaining...the day flew by! I feel confident to advise J-1 students/scholars/etc. in my role. I think the biggest takeaway was gaining new colleagues in the trainers to ask questions to in the future." - Annual Conference workshop participant
• "Good overview of the basic of the J program with hints at more advanced knowledge." - Annual Conference participant
• "The trainers did a wonderful job of balancing the content with thoughtful participant engagement and useful small group exercises." - On-site workshop participant

Audience

International student and scholar advisers, new Responsible Officers (RO) and Alternate Responsible Officers (ARO), and administrators working with an existing J-1 program.