J1 Scholars

J1 Scholars

Visiting staff are most commonly welcomed to Bard as J1 scholars. The J1 Cultural Exchange Program was created to “increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries by means of educational and cultural exchanges.” Information for departments wishing to sponsor a scholar can be found toward the bottom of this page.

International visitors in this nonimmigrant category may be paid by the College or can be self-funded through personal funds or an outside funding source. This category is not an employment visa: the purpose is for academic exchange.  Permanent appointments, that is, tenure-track positions, cannot be supported through J1 sponsorship. (See H1B.)  

There are two categories of J-1 Scholar:

Short-Term Scholar
The maximum duration of stay in this category is six months and should be considered when the assignment is temporary. Visitors in this category most commonly are invited to Bard to teach, consult, observe, train, and demonstrate special skills. The individual should plan to return home upon completion of their sponsored program. Typically, these visitors are professors, researchers, pre- and postdocs, and graduate students.  

Research Scholar
The scholar is expected to have an advanced degree (master’s or PhD) and be well established in their discipline. They should be welcomed to Bard for an academic appointment and be engaged in teaching or research at the College. The maximum duration of stay for this category is five years. 

Visitors who enter the United States in this category are subject to repeat participation bars:

12-MONTH BAR: A foreign national is ineligible to participate in a professor/research scholar exchange program if they held any J nonimmigrant status within the 12-month period immediately preceding the start of the exchange program. This 12-month bar applies to J2 dependents as well as principal nonimmigrants.  
The following three exceptions apply:  

  • J1 transfer from another sponsoring institution. 
  • Prior presence in J status in the United States was of less than six months’ duration.
  • Presence in J status as a short-term scholar. 
24-MONTH BAR (also known as the “two-year bar”):​ A foreign national who participates in the Exchange Visitor Program as a J1 Professor or Research Scholar becomes subject to the 24-month bar on “repeat participation” in the Professor/ Research Scholar category after completing their program even if the program lasts less than five years. The U.S. Department of State has taken the position that the 24-month bar will also apply to J2 dependents of J1 Professors or Research Scholars if the J2 subsequently wishes to return as a J1 Professor or Research Scholar. 

English Language Proficiency Requirement
The Department of State (DoS) requires that all exchange visitors demonstrate they have the English language skills to successfully communicate within the local community as well as the Bard workplace or classroom environment. 
For J1 scholars, Certification of English Proficiency may be demonstrated by:
  • An objective interview conducted in English with someone from your welcoming department.
  • Valid test score meeting the following standards: TOEFL or IELTS.     
  • IELTS Overall score of 5.5 or higher
  • TOEFL:
  • 100 or higher (internet based)
  • 250 or higher (computer based)
  • 600 or higher (paper based)
  • By documentation (e.g., a letter of certification from an academic institution or English language school).
  • Waived because the exchange visitor is a native speaker of English and/or from a country with English as an official language. 
  • Waived because the exchange visitor received education in a country with English as an official language and the language of instruction in higher education (see list below).
Health Insurance Requirement
The United States Department of State (DoS), per Code of Federal Regulations (22CFR 62.14), requires health, accident, repatriation, and medical evacuation insurance for participation in the J1 Exchange Visitor Program. This requirement applies to all J1 exchange visitors and J2 dependents for the duration of the J1 program in the United States. J1 exchange visitors and their J2 dependents must be covered by the required medical insurance​ ​from the start of the J1 program:
  • Medical benefits of at least US $100,000 per accident or illness
  • Repatriation of remains in the amount of US $25,000
  • Medical evacuation in the amount of US $50,000 
  • A deductible not to exceed US $500 per accident or illness 
Failure to be covered by such insurance may lead to loss of legal immigration status and termination from your exchange visitor program at Bard College. If you will be a ​benefits-eligible Bard employee​, you will need to purchase supplemental insurance to cover repatriation and medical evacuation, which Bard’s insurance does not cover.

The Two-Year Home Country Physical Presence Requirement
According to the Immigration Nationality Act, Section 212(e), J1 holders from certain countries, or those who have received government funds to support their visit, cannot become permanent residents in the United States, change status in the United States, or get work or family-based visa status such as H, L, or K until they return to their country of last permanent residence for at least two years cumulatively. If your visit is not being supported by government funds you can refer to the “skills list”​ for your home country to determine if you may be subject to this two-year home residency requirement. Dependents (J2s) of those who are subject to the “two-year rule” are also subject.
 
Individuals who are subject can apply for a waiver of this requirement: Two-Year Residency Requirement Waiver.
The two-year home country requirement does not prohibit a visitor from reentering the United States in another nonimmigrant category and does not apply to all employment visas. For example, an individual subject to this requirement can apply for an O1 visa before fulfilling or obtaining a waiver for this requirement.

The department that will host the scholar must initiate the process for bringing the scholar to campus.
Information for Departments:
To initiate the request for J-1 sponsorship, please review the instructions and checklist. This process requires you to obtain and share information from your visiting scholar/employee.  When all of the following documents are ready, please submit them to us by sending a message to [email protected] :
  • Completed Host Department Request Form
  • Completed English Proficiency Verification Form 
  • Copy of signed agreement/offer/visit letter
  • J-1 Scholar Information Form (to be completed by the prospective J-1 holder and returned to you to be included in the request to us):
    • Includes J-1 Exchange Visitor Health Insurance Requirement Guidelines (signed)
  • Copy of CV/Resume
  • Copy of Passport identification page
  • Copy of Passport identification page of any spouse/children that will accompany them.
Please refrain from piecemealing -- gather all documents together and email them to us directly with the subject line "J1- Scholar Request: NAME OF J-1 HOLDER". If it's easier, you may create a Google drive folder containing all required documentation and share the link with us. Also, there is no need to print, hand complete, and scan these documents. Please complete them electronically and provide an electronic/digital signature. This can be done by using the 'Fill and Sign' feature in Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Reader.

Once we receive the completed request, we'll be able to generate the Form DS2019. It will be distributed to the J-1 scholar directly via email. They will then be able to apply for the J-1 visa and schedule their embassy interview and plan their travels to the U.S.