International Students and Scholars Office

J-1 Exchange Visitor Visa for Non-Degree Personnel

The primary purpose of the Exchange Visitor Program is to foster the exchange of ideas between the United States and other countries and to stimulate international collaborative teaching and research efforts.

Applying for J-1 status is a fairly simple process, but has certain limitations which must be considered when bringing foreign nationals to Brandeis University.

The J-1 Exchange Visitor Program is appropriate for Lecturers, Visiting Faculty, Non-Tenure Track Professors, and Researchers typically coming to the U.S. for appointments of five years or less. J-1 status is not appropriate for tenure-track positions or staff positions at Brandeis.

To be eligible for J-1 status the foreign national must not have not been in J-1 status within the previous 24 months, except if they are transferring directly from another J-1 program. The J-1 Exchange Visitor will only be eligible for a transfer to Brandeis University if they are continuing with their original program objective.

If a foreign national is already in the U.S. in J-1 status in the Professor or Research Scholar categories, the time spent at another institution must be deducted from the five-year maximum. 

Foreign nationals already in the U.S. in J-1 Exchange Visitor status but in another category, such as J-1 Student, are not normally eligible to change to a different category (such as Professor or Research Scholar category) within the U.S. – they would be required to leave the U.S. to process this change of category.

Additional information on the Exchange Visitor Program is available on the U.S. Department of State website.

Beginning July 1, 2023, exchange visitors in the Student Intern, Intern, Professor, Research Scholar, and Short-term Scholar categories may participate remotely no more than 40% of their program (e.g., two out of five days per week) when their host organizations have instituted partial remote policies and their sponsor has approved their hybrid program participation.

All ECA exchange programs are expected to comply with category regulations of 22 CFR Part 62 as explained in this Guidance Directive and, as of July 1, return to predominantly in-person program activities.

The application process for J-1 Exchange Visitor status for non-degree personnel at Brandeis University is coordinated by the ISSO. If you have any questions about J-1 Exchange Visitor status, please contact the ISSO at 781-736-3480 or scholars@brandeis.edu.

 Pre-Arrival J-1 New Scholar Orientation