J-1 status is not appropriate if the scholar will:
Read about the J-1 Status limitations to help you decide that this is the right visa category for you.
Read about the Two Year Home Residency Requirement here.
It is important to understand the difference between Research Scholar and Short Term Scholar.
Read about the differences between an H-1B and the J-1 Status here.
On May 29, 2020, President Trump issued a proclamation refusing entry into the United States of certain Chinese citizens, which is still in effect. The following factors will trigger the ban:
The Department of State has confirmed that neither the list of targeted entities nor the list of targeted fields of research will be made public. Therefore, the individual F or J seeker must present their application for a visa to the U.S. Consulate to request a decision on their application. Those who are denied will receive a denial based on Section 212(f) of the Immigration and Nationality Act.
Note that the Proclamation included an additional measure which instructs the “The Secretary of State (to) consider……. whether nationals of the PRC currently in the United States pursuant to F or J visas and who otherwise meet the criteria described in section 1 of this proclamation should have their visas revoked…” When Chinese nationals who are currently within the United States have their visas revoked, they are NOT required to leave the U.S. or end their F-1 or J-1 program. A visa is only necessary when a person enters the U.S. Therefore, if your visa is revoked while you are in the U.S., you are strongly urged not to travel outside the U.S., as doing so will subject you to a new visa appointment which would be evaluated under the criteria described above.
Finally, the Proclamation gives the Department of State and the Department of Homeland Security 60 days within which to provide the President with additional actions “to further mitigate the risk posed by the PRC’s acquisition of sensitive United States technologies and intellectual property.” No additional guidance on this issue has been published.
How can I tell if a particular institution is a targeted entity?
Because the Department of State is not releasing a list of targeted entities, we must rely on other published sources to evaluate individual institutions. The Australian Strategic Policy Institute has created The China Defence Universities Tracker. That Tracker ranks each institution on a continuum from “High Risk” to “Low Risk.” The higher on the continuum an institution is ranked, the greater the chance that affiliation with that institution will cause concern under the terms of the White House Proclamation.
How can I tell if my field of study or research is a targeted field?
Because the Department of State is not releasing a list of targeted fields, we must rely on other published sources to make the best guess about individual fields. The Department of State has published a Fact Sheet about the MCF. That Paper has noted that, “Key technologies being targeted under MCF include quantum computing, big data, semiconductors, 5G, advanced nuclear technology, aerospace technology, and AI.” We can, therefore, assume that fields of study/research under those categories will be problematic under the terms of this White House Proclamation.
More information can be found here.
This information was taken from University of Pittsburgh's website.
An exchange visitor who travels outside of the US after transferring J programs, or starting a new J program, needs a new J visa before returning to the United States under the sponsorship of the new program. The Foreign Affairs Manual directs consular officers that:
The US Department of State says:
Through June 30, 2023, ECA’s guidance continues to be that temporary modification of a current, active-status exchange visitor's program due to exigent circumstances beyond a sponsor’s or host entity’s control does not undermine the program’s original consistency with program regulations. ECA understands that program sponsors may need to adjust program activities to meet their obligations to provide for the health, safety, and welfare of their exchange visitors. Sponsors may pursue ways to maintain program objectives, including a limited hybrid option, of one to two telework days per week, for one more academic year, not to exceed June 30, 2023, while preventing unnecessary exposure to COVID-19. The limited hybrid option is available for the following five exchange categories' host organizations that have instituted telework policies: College/University Student (Academic Training and Student Intern), Research Scholar, Short Term Scholar, Intern, and Trainee. A fully or predominantly virtual exchange program is not permitted. Designated sponsors in those five categories have the discretion to determine, on a case-by-case basis, whether J-1 exchange visitors may be eligible to participate in host organizations' hybrid telework policies provided they can successfully achieve the objectives of their exchange programs and meet the purpose of the Fulbright Hays Act of 1961 to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries.
Your inviting department will start an application for you in DestinyOne. Please do not start this yourself, it will delay the process. A checklist of your required documents can be found here.
Once your application is complete and you are officially invited to Temple, you can begin applying for your J-1 visa.
It is possible to change your immigration status to J-1. Read more here.
Read about transferring your SEVIS record if you are already in J-1 status in the US at another institution here.
Read more about life in the US here.