(Previous) J-1 Request Process for UMBC Department Sponsors

Sponsoring departments at UMBC must submit the following documentation, in order for the IES Office to create the DS-2019, the form that the exchange visitor (EV) will take to a U.S. Consulate overseas to obtain a J-1 visa stamp.

Required Paperwork

  • The completed J-1 Request Form, including SEVIS CIP Code
  • A copy of the Appointment Letter from the Provost’s Office
  • Evidence of financial support that meets the minimum amounts below, if not funded by UMBC
  • A copy of the Passport ID page for J-1 and all accompanying dependents

Appointment Letter from the Provost’s Office

All J-1 EVs on Short Term, Research Scholar or Professor J-1 visas must have an appointment letter from the Provost’s Office. EVs must have a research title consistent with those found in the UMBC Faculty Handbook.

UMBC faculty interested in hosting an EV must make a request in writing to their department chair. If the department chair approves this request, the department chair must request written approval of the department’s dean, who then forwards the request to the Provost’s Office.

This request must make clear how the EV’s stay will be financed. Finances for the exchange visitor, as well as an accompanying spouse and minor dependents, must meet the minimum requirements noted below. Finances may come from a combination of departmental funding, governmental funding (from either a U.S. governmental agency, inter-governmental organization or home-country government), personal savings, or any combination thereof.

From start to finish, the appointment letter process takes approximately 20 business days.

Minimum Processing Times

From the time the IES Office receives the paperwork listed above, the IES Office requires a minimum of 10 business days to process the DS-2019. We will contact the sponsoring department when the DS-2019 to arrange shipment of the documentation to the J-1 scholar.

As a general rule of thumb, departments should plan for a minimum of six weeks from the time you request a faculty appointment through the channels listed above to the expected start date of the Exchange Visitor. Given processing times in the IES Office, shipment of documents to the Exchange Visitor’s home country, wait times for a visa appointment at the host country, and travel time to UMBC, shorter time frames are not realistic and can add delays to the scholar’s anticipated arrival at UMBC.

U.S. Consular Processing Times

Processing times at U.S. Consulates overseas vary tremendously. In general, it will take a minimum of one month from the time the EV schedules an appointment for the in-person interview to the time they receive a visa stamp in his/her passport. Therefore, it is important that sponsoring departments keep this general time frame in mind when they start the J-1 request process.

Financial Requirements

Before IES can issue the J-visa document, the DS-2019, we must see sufficient funding to cover the J-1 and any accompanying J-2 dependents. Dependents are classified as a spouse and/or children under the age of 21.

Funding required to qualify for J-1 sponsorship:

  • Minimum of $ 1400/month of J-1 sponsorship
  • Minimum of $ 500/month for accompanying spouse
  • Minimum of $ 400/month for each accompanying child