Enrollment: J-1Students Only
SEVIS Guidelines for J-1 Students and Their Dependents
Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
Reporting Mandates
Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS)
Enrollment: J-1 Students
- Students must “register for and complete” a full
course of study at the University of Minnesota each semester during
the academic year. ISSS strongly recommends that students not
accumulate a large number of Incompletes.
- Students not enrolled for a full course of study should submit
a “Reduced Course Load” form to ISSS
before the semester begins to avoid being reported as not enrolled
or enrolled part-time.
- Students who intend to withdraw or cancel from a course causing
them to fall below the full-course requirement should consult
with an ISSS adviser before taking any action.
- Failure to enroll full-time or withdrawing from a class without prior approval from ISSS constitutes as a loss of legal status
- Graduate students enrolled for the FTE course 8333 (master’s)
or 8444 (Ph.D.) will be reported as maintaining a full course
of study. These students do not need to file an Exception form.
- Students who anticipate being suspended from their college should
discuss their visa options with an ISSS adviser while still on
probationary status.
- Students who are admitted to BEGIN a program of study Summer
Session must enroll as a full-time student in the summer to comply
with DHS requirements. No Reduced Course Load form can be filed in this
case!
J-1 Grace Period
A 30-day grace period is available to students who have completed
a program of study or completed authorized post completion or post-doctoral Academic
Training.
Maintaining Accurate Visa Documents
- J-1 students should insure that the information on their DS-2019
remains current and the document does not expire. Timely DS-2019
extension requests must be submitted to the program sponsor. ISSS
recommends submitting an extension request 30 days before expiration
of your current DS-2019.
- J-1 students must notify ISSS if they change their major or degree program level as soon as possible. This change will require a new DS-2019.
Use of Legal Name
- Any name changes of J-1 students and their dependents must
be reported to the University within 10 days. A name change is reported to SEVIS.
- Failure to report any name change within 10 days will result
in loss of legal status.
- The name on all of your documents
and in the University database must be consistent. Use the same
first, middle (if applicable), and last name in your passport,
national identification document, I-94, DS-2019, Social Security
card, University identification card, Minnesota Driver’s
License or State ID, bank account, checks, and any other documents
you may acquire in the U.S.
Transfer of Schools
- J-1 students who intend to transfer to a new school in the
U.S. should notify ISSS of their plan to transfer before leaving the University of Minnesota.
- J-1 students should see an ISSS adviser at least one month
before their intended transfer to another J sponsor or school.
- SEVIS will only allow one DS-2019 to be current in the system.
Students who are admitted by numerous schools must decide which
school they will attend and request an ISSS adviser to provide
an electronic transfer release to that specified school. This
will result in that school’s ability to generate a SEVIS
DS-2019 and the student will be required to report to the Foreign
Student Adviser at the new school.
Permanent Departure from the U.S.
J-1 students who intend to depart the U.S. due to completion of
a program of study or termination of their program of study should
notify ISSS within 30 days. This will allow the University to report
termination with a valid reason versus a report as not enrolled.
Address
- A change of address and telephone number for any J-1 student
and their dependents must be reported to the University and the
DHS within 10 days. Dependents
should use DHS AR-11 to report address changes to DHS.
- Failure of J-1 students and their dependents to report any
address changes to ISSS will result in loss of status. The Department
of State will not grant a request for reinstatement in such cases.
- Student should update their “Current Mailing Address” and telephone number using One Stop at the university database. This will be electronically reported to SEVIS.
- Do not use a foreign or university departmental address, SEVIS will also not accept a P.O. Box.
- If a student or dependent is not physically residing at the
“Current Mailing Address”, it is important that s/he contact
an ISSS adviser and provide information on his/her physical location.
- Students authorized academic training
must keep ISSS informed of their current mailing address.
J-1 Student Employment
- For J-1 students, any on-campus employment will be recorded
in SEVIS
- Any academic training permission will be documented in SEVIS.
Changing Your Visa Status
J-1 students or their dependents who change their visa status
to another nonimmigrant visa type or who file to adjust their status
to permanent residence must notify ISSS of the change by faxing
the information to the attention of the J Document Specialist in
ISSS or bringing to ISSS the approved documents in person.
J-2 Dependents
- Any name changes of dependents must be reported to the University
and DHS within 10 days.
- Students will need to provide ISSS with dependent information
for each J-2 family member present in the U.S. ISSS will need
a copy of the dependent DS-2019 entry visa stamp, I-94 and current address.
- Travel and reentry of dependents will require a separate SEVIS-generated
DS-2019 form for each person who travels, even if travelling with
the principal visa holder.
- It is unclear how the status of dependent visa holders is affected
if the dependent remains in the U.S. when the principal visa holder
is temporarily absent from the U.S.
- Study in J-2 status: Current regulations allow J-2 visa holders
to enroll in an academic program and to take courses at the University. However, the U.S. Department of State stated its
intention to prohibit J-2 study in the future. This will be clarified
in the next J visa regulations that are published. The new regulations
will likely be the same as the current regulations for F-2 visa
holders which prohibit F-2 study. See the information in the F-1
section regarding F-2 study. Also, the Department of State has
not indicated when new regulations regarding J-2 study will be
published. J-2s who want to study in the U.S. in the future, should see a J adviser to discuss options. If you are not subject to the 2-year home
residency requirement, you may be able to change your status to
F-1 student in the United States. If you are subject to the 2-year
rule, you may be able to go home and apply for J-1 student or
F-1 student status.
Loss of Legal Status- J-1 Visa
- DHS places the responsibility of maintaining legal status with
the student and will consider a student to be in violation of
his/her legal status if s/he follows inappropriate advice given
by faculty or academic advisers.
- DHS has stressed the importance of obtaining prior approval
from ISSS for a reduced course load of study. Students who do
not enroll for a full course or who cancel/withdraw during the
semester and who fail to have an approved Reduced Course Load form on file
with ISSS will be reported through SEVIS as less than full time.
This will result in the loss of legal status. Once the electronic
report has been submitted to DHS, it will not be possible to submit
a Reduced Course Load for J-1 students form.
- Failure to report within 10 days a change of name or address
to ISSS by the J-1 and/or J-2 dependents is a violation of Exchange
Visitor Program regulations. The new regulations state that J
visa holders are ineligible to apply for reinstatement in this
case. The Department of State will deny any such application for
reinstatement.
- Failure of the J-1 student to enroll for classes within 30
days of the start date of the J-1 program will be reported through
SEVIS. This will result in the loss of legal status.
- Reinstatement requests will be made to the Department of State
through SEVIS (if reinstatement guidelines apply).
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