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J Scholars
Traveling in J Visa Status
When traveling temporarily outside the U.S. during your
program at the University of Georgia, you will need to have the necessary documents
to both permit entry to another country as well as permit re-entry to the U.S. in
J-1 visa status. For travel to a country other than the home country, you should
check with the consulate of the country you wish to visit for specific entry
requirements.
You need the following documentation for re-entry to the United States:
- Valid passport with at least 6 months validity
- Valid “unexpired” J-1 visa in your passport
Check the number
of entries allowed on your visa.
- SEVIS DS-2019 “unexpired” Recertified
Recertification signature
(signature for travel) signifies to the immigration officer that you are
maintaining your status. Signature must come from a Responsible Officer
in the Office of International Education.
- Letter from Department and Financial Documentation
An immigration officer at the port-of-entry may wish to verify your ability
to fund your stay and you may wish to have a letter from your department
stating that you are returning to the U.S. to continue your research
objective.
Obtaining a New J-1 Entry Visa
If your entry visa is no longer valid, you will need
to apply for a new one. It is always best to do this in your home country.
There are a number of factors that may contribute to delays in you obtaining
your visa such as appointment at embassy and security checks. Be sure to allow
yourself sufficient time – plan ahead!
US-VISIT Entry/Exit
US-Visit is part of a continuum of security measures
that begins overseas, when a person applies for a visa to travel to the United
States, and continues on through entry and exit at U.S. air and seaports and,
eventually, at land border crossings. The program facilitates legitimate travel
and trade by leveraging technology and the evolving use of biometrics to
expedite processing at our borders.
At this time, US-VISIT requires that most foreign visitors traveling to the U.S.
on a visa have their two index fingers scanned and a digital photograph taken to
verify their identity at the port of entry. Visas are required for most students,
business travelers (depending on their length of stay) and millions of other
visitors, regardless of where they live. By September 30th, 2004, US-VISIT
procedures will be expanded to include visitors traveling under the Visa Waiver
Program arriving at air and sea ports of entry.
Checking out of the country using the US-VISIT exit procedure is mandatory
where an exit solution is in place at the port of departure. If students fail
to check out through these facilities, it could affect your ability to re-enter
the country. Eventually, all airports and seaports may contain exit stations
or other alternatives. People will not be penalized if an exit solution is
not yet installed at their point of departure. To-date, these are the ports
of exit where the US-VISIT Exit Procedures are in place:
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J Scholars