{"id":120,"date":"2022-03-31T15:06:46","date_gmt":"2022-03-31T20:06:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/cie\/?page_id=120"},"modified":"2026-04-16T13:43:38","modified_gmt":"2026-04-16T18:43:38","slug":"j1-visiting-scholar","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/cie\/services\/scholars\/j1-visiting-scholar\/","title":{"rendered":"J-1 Visiting Scholars"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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The staff of International Student and Scholar Services greatly appreciates the many contributions you make to 51ÁÔÆæ and the greater Milwaukee community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you are being sponsored by 51ÁÔÆæ as a Visiting Scholar in J-1 status, you will need to consider how you will acquire J-1 status and also be aware of how to maintain J-1 status.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Acquiring J-1 Status<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Consular Interview & J-1 Admission: <\/strong>a prospective J-1 may make an application for a J-1 visa and have a visa interview at a U.S. Embassy or Consulate. Most J-1 visas are issued in under one week, but some visa applications undergo \u201cadministrative processing\u201d which can take several weeks or longer. After a J-1 visa is granted, the prospective J-1 travels to the U.S. and applies for admission to the U.S. in J-1 status at a U.S. Port of Entry. The U.S. Department of State website<\/a> provides detailed information and tools to assist with the process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Change of Status to J-1:<\/strong> a prospective J-1 who is already in the U.S. in a different visa status may wish to apply for a change of status to J-1. The change of status petition is processed by the United States Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) while the petitioner waits in the U.S. rather than travels abroad. Change of status petitions can take several months and during that time it may be that the individual is not permitted to work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Extension of J-1 status:<\/strong> J-1 program extensions are requested by the 51ÁÔÆæ sponsor. Departments submit the DS-2019 Request Form to CIE and CIE extends the J-1\/J-2 program(s) through SEVIS. Visiting scholars and their dependents then receive DS-2019s with the new program end dates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Transfer of J-1 status:<\/strong> some J-1 programs may be transferred from one sponsoring institution to another sponsoring institution. As long as there is time remaining in the maximum duration of a J-1 category and the program activities will remain the same, a J-1 exchange visitor is likely to be eligible to transfer. If you are transferring to 51ÁÔÆæ, your academic department will initiate the transfer by submitting a DS-2019 Request Form to CIE.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maintaining J-1 Status<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In order to maintain your J-1 visa status you must:<\/p>\n\n\n\n