International Scholars
Under U.S. federal regulations, visiting scholars may participate in the J Research or J Professor category for up to five years; in the Short-Term J category for only six months.
Appointing an International J-1 Scholar
B-1 Visa: When it is appropriate and not appropriate
Home Residency Requirement For J-1 Scholars
and Students
Sponsored International Students
Once at Northeastern, ISSI provides orientation and advising services to scholars and their dependents. Once they have received a DS-2019, scholars must pay the SEVIS fee and apply to an embassy or consulate in their home country for a visa for the duration of their program. For the duration of their program at Northeastern, the scholar is expected to report any changes concerning address, financial support or health insurance policies to ISSI, and to confer with ISSI before traveling.
Appointing an International J-1 Scholar
An international appointment at Northeastern begins with an academic appointment initiated by the faculty host (A Step by Step Guide to Appointing an International Scholar: ISSI Form 512). Each College at Northeastern has a designated personnel manager who is responsible for international appointments and will, at the faculty member’s request, start the process of bringing the international scholar to Northeastern. This manager works with the ISSI to provide the visa documentation necessary to bring the scholar to Northeastern with a J-1 Scholar visa. Below is a list of the Colleges. Please click on the appropriate College for the personnel directors who manage international appointments/hires:
Bouve College of Health Sciences
College of Business of Administration
College of Professional Studies
The faculty host has significant responsibilities toward the visiting scholar. He/she must recognize that he/she is the primary contact for said international scholar in the U.S. during the period of that scholar’s appointment and sign a statement to that effect (Faculty Host Agreement: ISSI Form 513) . He/she will advise the scholar to report any changes in address and status and likewise those of the scholar’s dependents to the personnel manager and the ISSI, as well as any changes in the scholar’s field of research, funding amount or funding sources for this research or reduction of hours for this research. The faculty host is also aware that, immediately upon arrival to Northeastern, the scholar is required to report to the ISSI for immigration clearance.
B-1 Visa: When it is appropriate and not appropriate
For most conferences, symposia and colloquia held at academic institutions, participants who require visas to enter the U.S. should request a B-1 or Business Visitor visa. In order to help the participants with the B-1 visa application process, the faculty organizer may contact the designated manager in their College or the ISSI for a letter of invitation which the prospective participant can present to a U.S. embassy or consulate in their home country to apply for a B-1 visa. For very large conferences with a large number of participants from abroad (over 100), the conference can be registered with U.S. Department of State.
A B-1 visa is not appropriate for any kind of academic collaboration and might even result in immigration penalties for your international visitor that could have unwanted and lasting effects. Any kind of collaborative work on campus will necessitate that the international visitor apply for a J visa, not a B. Please contact the ISSI if there are any questions or concerns about the type of visa which is most appropriate international visitor’s planned activities at Northeastern/in the U.S.
Home Residency Requirement for J-1 Students and Scholars
Scholars and students who receive a J visa may be made subject to the I.N.A. 212(e), a.k.a. the “Two-Year Home Country Physical Presence Requirement.” Not all J visa holders are made subject to this requirement, which states that the student or scholar must return to their “home” country and be physically present there for an aggregate of two years before becoming eligible for immigrant (permanent resident/green card) status, an H visa (temporary workers and dependents) or an L visa (intracompany transferees and dependents). The J visa holder may be made subject for either having received government financing (U.S. or home government, direct or indirect) for their study or research or if the skills that the J visa holder is coming to develop or practice are in a field which the student or scholar’s home government requested be included on the State Department “skills list”. In some cases, the J visa holder may apply for a waiver to this requirement. An ISSI advisor can provide for more details on this procedure.
Sponsored International Students
ISSI serves as the official liaison and host for international students sponsored by U.S. government agencies, such as those studying with Fulbright grants and scholarships, and those sponsored by embassies and private and public international organizations and companies. A staff specialist can provide more information. ISSI provides:
- orientation
- advocacy
- advising
- institutional liaison
Sponsored international students are often enrolled at Northeastern under J-1 nonimmigrant visa classification. In such cases, when the DS-2019 is issued by an authorized program sponsor other than Northeastern, the international student should be certain to provide ISSI with a copy of this document. ISSI also plays a role in the grant-renewal process for specified scholarships, notifying the sponsor/administrative agency of the student’s ability to advance in the degree program while maintaining proper nonimmigrant visa status.