International Students and Scholars

Researcher Scholars, Professors & Short Term Scholars

Sponsorship in these J-1 categories is available to international visitors who have the minimum of the equivalent of a bachelor’s degree and academic credentials and experience in the field they will be associated with at Brown.

Breadcrumb

Visitors or employees who will be eligible for an official Brown University appointment, such as Visiting Scholars, Visiting Professors, Postdoctoral Research Associates, and Visiting Lecturers can be sponsored on one of the following four J-1 categories:

Requirements: Exchange Visitors in the Research Scholar or Professor categories must have the minimum of the equivalent of a Bachelor’s degree and academic credentials and experience in the field they will be associated with at Brown University.

Length of stay: The program must be a minimum of 3 weeks and has a maximum length of stay of 5 years. There are no extensions beyond 5 years.

Requirements: Exchange Visitors in the J-1 Short Term Scholar category must have the minimum of the equivalent of a Bachelor’s degree and academic credentials and experience in the field they will be associated with at Brown University

Length of stay: There is a one day minimum length of stay required and a 6 month maximum stay for J-1 Short Term Scholars. There are no extensions beyond 6 months.

Requirements: Exchange Visitors in the J-1 Specialist category must have academic credentials and experience in the field they will be associated with at Brown University

Length of stay: There is a 3 week minimum length of stay required and a 12 month maximum stay for J-1 Specialists. There are no extensions beyond 12 months.

J-1 Request Forms

All new J-1 DS-2019 Requests must be received by the OISSS at least 3 months in advance of the requested start date. Extension Requests must be received by the OISSS at least 1 month in advance of the current DS-2019 end date. Some visa applications may be subject to additional Administrative Processing.

Please type or print your form to avoid errors and make sure the information is 100% accurate and matches the information on the scholar's passport. Permanent Residency of dependent(s) is a mandatory field in SEVIS, so please add the information in the request form and if different from the country of citizenship, provide document evidence.

Department J-1 Request Form
To be completed by Department

Scholar J-1 Request Form
To be completed by Scholar

J-1 Extension Request Form
To be completed by both Scholar and Department

For any request (new or extension), the Department should complete the appropriate J-1 request forms and submit them along with all supporting documents to one of the following:

The Dean of Faculty,
or
The Office of Biomedical Faculty Affairs (BMFA) for BioMed appointment requests,
or
The School of Engineering Faculty Administration for all appointments in the School of Engineering,
or
The Dean of Public Health for all appointments in the School of Public Health.
or
The Associate Dean of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies for all Brown University paid postdoctoral appointments in the field of Biology and Medicine.

Supporting Documentation

Appropriate completed J-1 Request Form(s).
Signed Appointment/Offer letter (from appropriate office).
Copy of the biographical page of the Exchange Visitor’s passport.
Proof of Funding/Financial Support, if funds are not coming from Brown.
Copy of the Exchange Visitor’s CV or resume.
Copy of the English Language Proficiency Verification.
Copy of any dependent passports and applicable marriage certificate.
New Requests Only: Export Control and Sanctions Regulations Review Form for Foreign Scholars and Visitors Completed and signed forms must be sent to the Export Control Officer in Brown's Division of Research for review and signature. Send forms to exportcontrol@brown.edu with the following subject line: Scholar Last Name, Scholar First Name: Export Control Review. The Export Control Officer will send a signed copy back to the hosting department, as well as to Brown's Office of International Student and Scholar Services (OISSS). Please visit the website of the Division of Research for more information regarding U.S. Export Control Regulations.

Faculty Personnel, School of Engineering, School of Public Health, or the Associate Dean for Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies will forward the DS-2019 request to the Office of International Student and Scholar Services after the appointment letter is signed by the visitor and the visitor returns a copy of the appointment letter to the appropriate office. BioMed Faculty Affairs will send the appointment letter to the department at which time the department will need to send the complete request to OISSS.

Once OISSS receives the J-1 request, we will review and process the DS-2019. Please allow up to 3 weeks for the processing of the request and issuance of Form(s) DS-2019. Plan ahead and leave sufficient time for processing. When Form(s) DS-2019 are ready, OISSS will notify the department. The department is responsible for sending the DS-2019 documentation to the exchange visitor in their home country.

The exchange visitor should NOT schedule their visa interview at the U.S. Consulate until their DS-2019 is ready. Pertinent information on the DS-2019 is needed to schedule an appointment at the U.S. Consulate for a J-1 visa.
If the program is funded by the exchange visitor’s government, other organizations or by the individual, a letter of award or a financial statement should be attached with the request form for review.
If the exchange visitor is not eligible for an appointment through the Faculty Personnel Office or Office of Postdoctoral Studies then please contact OISSS.
The exchange visitor and the Department should pay close attention to the end date on Form DS-2019 for your exchange visitors. Extensions must be completed before the expiration date in DS-2019. Please don’t wait until the last minute to request an extension.
If the visitor will not arrive in the U.S. within 30 days of their anticipated J-1 start date, you must notify OISSS immediately. OISSS will need to amend the J-1 start date in their SEVIS record accordingly. Failure to do so will result in termination of their J-1 status.
Please remind your visitor that upon arrival all Brown University international students and exchange visitors are required to register at the Office of International Student and Scholar Services within 5 business days of arrival on campus. Failure to do so will result in termination of status.