Admission to the United States as a J-1 Exchange Visitor

Form I-94 Arrival/Departure Record

The Form I-94 is the Arrival/Departure Record indicating the visa status of an individual and the length of time an individual may remain inside the United States. A Form I-94 is issued electronically or as a paper card each time one enters the United States. The electronic record is updated and the paper card should be surrendered each time one departs the United States. You may view or print your electronic Form I-94 at https://i94.cbp.dhs.gov.

Admission to the United States

Application for admission to the United States is made when you arrive at a US port of entry. Applicants should be aware that a visa does not guarantee entry into the United States. Upon presentation of your passport with a J-1 visa and the Certificate of Eligibility (Form DS-2019), the Immigration Officer will review your documents to determine if you are eligible to enter the United States as a J-1 Exchange Visitor. If you are allowed to enter the United States, the Officer will stamp and endorse your passport noting the date, location, and status of your US entry. Please be certain each document is returned to you and properly stamped and endorsed. The principal applicant’s passport must be stamped and have the notation “J-1” and “D/S” (Duration of Status indicates that your status is authorized to the date which appears on your Form DS-2019 in Section 3). The dependent applicant’s passport must be stamped and have the notation “J-2” and “D/S”. Failure to obtain the proper endorsements may compromise your US admission and require a trip back to a port of entry for correction.

Please note: You may apply to enter the United States in J status up to 30 days prior to the start date on your Form DS-2019. Should you plan to arrive 30 days beyond your program start date, please contact the Office of Visitor and Visa Services to have your Form DS-2019 amended. Failure to do so may invalidate your program.