If it's deemed necessary that the Scholar should come on a J-1 visa, these are the steps that need to be taken to initiate the J-1 Visa process:

1. The Hosting Department must contact the International Scholars Team at the Padnos International Center and convey their intent of hosting a scholar. 
2. Together with the International Scholars Team, a recommended Visa Type will be decided.
3. The individual intending to apply for the J-1 visa type should complete the appropriate application.
   • A key application requirement is Proof of Funding. Either the visiting scholar or the hosting department must provide Proof of Funding for the visit. 
   • The Hosting Department must determine the level of English proficiency required and communicate this to the Scholar. More details in the Application Requirements section. 
4. The hosting department must then provide PIC with an official letter of intent to invite the proposed visiting scholar; this letter must be on the department’s official letterhead.  The invitation letter should include the following information:
   1. Specific beginning and ending dates of the scholar’s program
      1. When choosing the beginning and ending dates of the program, do not factor in extra travel time.  Scholars may enter the US up to 30 days prior to the program start date and may depart up to 30 days after the program end date (the J-1 visa grace period).
   2. Summary of the scholar’s proposed activities.
   3. Specific amount of payment, if any.
5. The International Scholars Team processes the DS-2019 form. 
6. The International Scholars Team mails the completed DS-2019 form and departmental invitation letter to the proposed visiting scholar.

Passport

All scholar applicants must include a scanned copy of the Biographical page of their passport that includes a photo, full name, and expiration date. 

Proof of Funding

In order to issue a DS-2019 document for a J-1 Scholar, GVSU is required by Federal Law to collect evidence that the J-1 applicant has adequate funding to cover their program and expenses at GVSU. We calculate that as:  $1000 month for rent + $100/week for food and general expenses + any additional program-specific expenses such as Tuition.

Prior to submitting the application, the Scholar should have been in communication with a sponsoring department at GVSU as well as the International Scholar Services Team in the Padnos International Center who will assist the scholar in calculating the exact amount needed.

The Proof of Funding can be in the following forms:

• Letter of Sponsorship that includes: Sponsor's name, Sponsor's connection to Scholar, Scholar's name, Dollar amount of sponsorship, Scholars proposed program at GVSU with dates, and Sponsor's signature with date. 
• Bank Statement in the name of the Scholar showing at least 3 months history and including a stamp and/or signature from the bank official

For dependents of the scholar, additional proof of funding must be provided. This should be in the form of an official Bank Statement in the Scholar's name showing at least $100 per week of the Scholar's program per dependent older than 13 or $50 per week of the Scholar's program per dependent younger than 13. Example: 6 week program for Scholar bringing spouse would need to show bank statement with at least $600 USD in addition to the proof of Funding required for the Scholar themselves.

Other forms of Proof of Funding can be approved on a case-by-case basis, such as Government Sponsorship, etc. Please make sure to discuss alternative forms of Proof of Funding prior to completing the application for Short-Term Scholar of Professor. 

English Language Requirement

Under federal law, all J-1 exchange visitors must be proficient enough in English to participate successfully in their exchange program and to function on a day-to-day basis in the United States. This requirement is important to ensuring that scholars are able to live productively and successfully in the US during their exchange program. While sponsors are given some leeway in determining how proficient scholars must be, they must document proficiency through one or more of the following objective measurements.

Depending on the Scholar's proposed program at GVSU, the level of English Language required will differ. Please upload the document provided to you by your hosting department or one of the following:

• Results of a recognized English language test

  The visiting scholar may forward the results directly to the International Scholars Team. On a pass/fail test like a Cambridge English exam, the exchange visitor must have at least passed. On a scored test like the TOEFL, proficiency is determined to be at 65. Online or informal tests are not an acceptable way of meeting this requirement.

• Signed documentation from an academic institution or English language school

  For this measure, the scholar should forward information on institutional letterhead directly to the Padnos International Center. The document should give the scholar’s name and assess their proficiency; if the document is not from an English language school (that is, a school that teaches the English language), it should give some basis for the assessment, for example, coursework in English or a substantial period of time spent living in an English-speaking country.

• A documented interview conducted by the Hosting Department

  For this measure, the faculty host should conduct and document an interview with the visiting scholar and give an assessment of the scholar’s proficiency. This interview should be performed in person or by video conference. If neither of those options are possible, a phone interview may be used. The documentation should include the following information

  • The names of the participants,
  • The date, time, and method of the interview, and,
  • How English proficiency was assessed.

After recieving a DS-2019 document from the International Scholars Team, the Scholar must do 2 things:

1. Pay the SEVIS fee. The SEVIS fee must be paid prior to completing the visa application.
2. Schedule a Visa Interview

Below are helpful links for the application to the US Department of State.

• J-1 Application Information: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/study/exchange.html 
• SEVIS Fee: https://www.fmjfee.com/i901fee
• Visa Appointment Wait times: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas.html  The visa application process time varies from a matter of a few days in some cases to weeks or months in other cases. The length of time can depend on many factors: the location of the Consulate, the scholar’s citizenship, and/or the scholar’s area of study. 

Overall Processing Time

It is very important that you allow ample time not only for the visa application process, but also for the internal GVSU processing that must take place. Please plan ahead to allow 6-8 weeks for both processes. 

GVSU Processing Information

The International Scholars Team asks for 7-10 business days to complete the DS-2019. Once the documents are completed, the host department will be contacted and the form will be mailed to the proposed scholar. The scholar’s packet will include:

• Original DS-2019 (and DS-2019 for dependents if applicable)
• An Invitation Letter

NOTE: After receiving the DS-2019, Scholars must pay the SEVIS fee at www.fmjfee.com to begin the Visa Application process with the Department of State. Upon arrival, they must submit their receipt for the SEVIS fee in person to PIC for reimbursement. If the scholar’s trip is canceled for any reason and the SEVIS fee has already been paid, PIC will not reimburse the scholar. 

Security Clearance

Some scholars will be subject to a Security Clearance procedure when applying for a visa. It is hard to predict exactly who will be subject to this procedure, as the Department of State’s policies regarding security clearances are not made public.

The security clearance process is supposed to last a maximum of 30 days. If a scholar experiences a security clearance delay of longer than 30 days, please contact PIC.