Documents Required for Status

While you are in J-1 status, the following documents are extremely important:

Form DS-2019

This is your J-1 eligibility document. It contains information about your program and your program sponsor, and it is required in order to apply for a J-1 visa stamp and to enter the United States in J-1 status. You should keep EVERY DS-2019 you are ever issued in your permanent records.

Visa

This stamp in your passport allows you to travel to the United States and request admission to the country in a particular status. Note that the visa only has to be valid on the day you arrive to the U.S. - it can expire after that, and this by itself does NOT mean you are "out of status." It simply means that you would have to obtain a new visa stamp before making another entry to the United States.

I-94

This record is issued to you when you arrive in the United States and pass through immigration inspection at the port of entry. You must retrieve your record from the Homeland Security website. If there are any errors in your I-94 record, or if you are not able to retrieve your record successfully, contact your J-1 advisor for assistance.

Passport

This is the official identity and travel document issued by your government, and you must keep it valid all through your time in the United States. The general rule is to keep your passport valid at least six months into the future at all times. If your passport will expire before you plan to make a trip home, contact your country's embassy or consulate in the United States for assistance with renewing the passport while here in the U.S.