Department Responsibilities
The sponsoring department is responsible to provide cultural and professional exchange opportunities for the visiting scholar. The sponsoring department is responsible for visiting scholar privileges (such ensuring access to the library, computing, parking, etc). These benefits can be extended to scholars who will not be paid by OSU by offering the scholar a courtesy or associate appointment. Courtesy appointments for international scholars should follow the same OHR process as domestic appointees.
Health Insurance
The Department of State (DOS) requires that ALL J-1 Exchange Visitor s (and their dependents) maintain health insurance that meets DOS requirements during the entire duration of their J program.
Mandatory Visa Check-In
DOS requires that all J-1 Exchange Visitor s check-in with the Office of International Services (OIS) within 30 days of their program start date (listed on the DS-2019). If the scholar does not check-in within this time, DOS will terminate the scholar’s status and the scholar will not be eligible to engage in his/her program at OSU or to legally remain in the United States. The OIS office will need to be contacted immediately if the scholar will be unable to check-in with OIS within 30 days of their program start date.
Employment Restrictions
The terms of employment for the J-1 visa are very specific. The DOS approves the J-1 program for the specific department, salary, duties, and dates listed on the initial J-1 program. The J-1 recipient is not authorized to participate in a program or change employment without authorization from OIS; this restriction includes working for a different department within OSU, changing position duties, or changing pay rates. If there is a change in the research or employment of the scholar, the department should notify OIS immediately.
Extensions of the Program
The sponsoring professor will be responsible to file applications for extensions on behalf of the scholar. Applications for extensions should be filed one month before the end date of the original program. Extensions are not available for J-1 Exchange Visitor s in the Short Term Scholar category beyond 6 months. Contact OIS for more information about the procedures for extensions of a scholar’s program.
Notice of Departure
The sponsoring professor and the scholar are responsible to notify OIS of the scholar’s departure at the completion of the program. If the scholar’s program is not properly closed with immigration, it could lead to complications for the scholar in future visits to the United States.