I-94 Card
Your I-94 card is the small white card (or the long card that looks somewhat
like a plane ticket) that you received upon arrival in the United States.
This card documents the date you entered the United States, in which status
you entered (J-1), and how long you may stay. In most cases, J-1 Students'
I-94 cards are stamped "D/S" or "duration of status";
in other words, as long as you maintain your non-immigrant status by having
a valid DS-2019 (formerly IAP-66), you may stay in the United States.
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Duration of status (D/S)
Duration of status or D/S is the length of time for which individuals in
J status are admitted to the United States. D/S allows you to stay in the
United States as long as you are participating in the program described on
your DS-2019 and otherwise complying with all immigration regulations required
for maintenance of J-1 Student Status. D/S is not, however, an indefinite
period of time. D/S is based on the date of your completion of program (completion
date on your DS-2019) plus a 30-day grace period. It may be possible to extend
D/S by applying for a program extension at least 45 days before the expiration
date on your current DS-2019.
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Visa
The visa stamped in your passport allowed you to enter the United States.
As long as you have a valid DS-2019, you may stay in the United States. Therefore,
you only need to renew your visa if you are going to travel outside of the
United States and return to the U. S. after the expiration date on the visa
already in your passport. J-1 Student visas must be obtained at a U. S. Embassy
or Consulate outside of the U. S. Your visa does not indicate how long
you may remain in the United States.
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Maintenance of J-1 Student Status
To maintain J-1 student status, students must:
- Maintain a valid passport.
To extend the validity of your passport, please contact your country's embassy.
Links to Foreign consular offices in the United States can be found on the
internet at http://www.state.gov/s/cpr/rls/fco
- Attend the school he or
she is authorized to attend as stated on his or her Form DS-2019.
- Pursue a full course of study
and make normal progress towards the completion of the full course of study.
If you find for any reason that you are unable to be enrolled full-time
in your course of study, please contact the Office of International Exchange
Services (OIES) immediately.
- If necessary, apply for extension of program
of program before the expiration date on the current DS-2019. Extension
of program can only be granted under certain circumstances, so please contact
OIES if you encounter any difficulties in your academic program.
- Follow U.S. Department of State Procedures for changing
from one program or educational level to another
(e.g., from M.S. degree to Ph.D. degree).If at any time you decide that
you would like to change your field of study or change your academic level
of study, you must visit OIES before you make any changes.
- Follow U.S. Department of State procedures for transferring
from one school to another. If at any time you
decide that you would like to transfer to another institution, change your
field of study, or change academic level of study, you must visit
OIES before you make any changes.
- Limit on-campus employment
to 20 hours a week while school is in session. Full time on-campus employment
is permitted during appropriate university vacation periods as long as the
student was enrolled full-time the term before and intends to be full-time
the following term. You must contact OIES for approval of any on-campus
employment. Do not accept any unauthorized employment.
- Refrain from off-campus employment without authorization.
In the event of economic hardship or interest in off-campus academic training
employment, please contact OIES immediately to
discuss appropriate options. Do not accept any unauthorized employment.
- Report a change of address
to OIES within 10 days of the change.
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Travel
Whenever you travel outside of the United States during your J-1 program,
about one week before you leave you must visit the OIES with your passport
and your DS-2019 so we can prepare your documents for travel and give you
any necessary information regarding your return to the United States.
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Health Insurance
All J-1 Exchange Visitors and any family members accompanying in J-2 status
must be covered by adequate health insurance. This health insurance must provide
for medical evacuation and repatriation of remains. Willful failure to comply
with this requirement will result in the termination of your J-1 program.
Brochures for appropriate health insurance policies are available at OIES.
U.S. law mandates certain minimum coverage.
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End of Program
If you are interested in more information about any period of Academic Training
that may be available to you at the completion of your studies, please contact
OIES at the beginning of your final semester at Jefferson so we can review
your program and advise. If you will be leaving the United States at the end
of your academic program, please visit OIES at least one week before you end
your program and return to your home country.
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IMPORTANT!
Always keep any DS-2019 (or IAP-66) you ever receive in your lifetime, because
this document helps to show that you legally maintained your J-1 status.
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Return to J-1 Students
