Message for UConn Academic Departments Hosting Exchange Visitors on J-1 Visas
(Visiting Scholars, Professors, Interns and Student Researchers)
Due to the current COVID-19 situation, ISSS recognizes that academic departments who host exchange visitors may be unable to assist new exchange visitors to settle in to life at the University. The U.S. Department of State has recommended that program sponsors temporarily pause the start of new exchange visitor programs through at least the next 60 days. Considering the Department of State recommendations, and out of concern for the welfare of our exchange visitors, ISSS will implement temporary changes to our J-1 program administration. This primarily affects academic departments hosting new visiting research scholars, professors, and visiting research students. This may also impact incoming postdoctoral fellows and other temporary staff, if coming on a J-1 visa.
Program Start Dates
ISSS will only accept new visa sponsorship requests with a start date after June 1,2020. In some cases, ISSS may request that a program start date begin after August 1, depending on the exchange visitor’s home country and field of research, due to anticipated visa processing delays.
ISSS has already reached out to departments and exchange visitors for whom we have issued a DS-2019 form with a program start date before June 1. We plan to initially amend those programs to a start date of June 1 to prevent exchange visitors from traveling to the U.S., and will follow up with individual departments to determine if this is an acceptable date, or if you would like to invite your exchange visitor to begin their program on a different date after June 1. Hosting departments must still submit a formal amend request with a new offer/invitation letter establishing the new program dates.
Initial DS-2019 Form Processing and Mailing
ISSS will continue to issue new DS-2019 forms for exchange visitors with program start dates beyond June 1. When the form has been processed, we will contact the academic department and also email the exchange visitor with their SEVIS and pre-arrival information. With this information, they can schedule their visa appointment, if the U.S. embassy/consulate in their home country is currently accepting appointments. At this time, ISSS will hold the form in our office until normal operations resume. If the Exchange Visitor has a visa appointment scheduled in the near future and requires the form, we will mail the DS-2019 directly to the scholar, at their cost. Thank you for your flexibility.
Exchange Visitors and Overseas Travel
If your exchange visitor returns home out of concerns for safety and wellness, ISSS can either: shorten their program to indicate that they have finished their program early, OR we can keep the SEVIS record active while they are out of the U.S. We will temporarily waive the 30 day out of country rule for exchange visitors until after global travel warnings have passed; however this time overseas will be counted toward the exchange visitor’s maximum program length. Your exchange visitor should complete a Travel Signature Request in the Scholar/Employee Portal to report their travel and request a travel signature. They should also complete the J-1 Research Scholar Out of Country Request if they are traveling, and will continue their UConn exchange program overseas. Exchange visitors who continue their UConn programs overseas may require additional approval from OVPR to ensure the activity is permitted under export control rules. Exchange Visitors who are paid employees of UConn must also adhere to any leave policies during the temporary absence.
Remote Learning – ISSS Check In Form
ISSS has asked all exchange visitors to complete a Remote Learning-ISSS Check In form to let us know of the exchange visitor’s location and mode of activity (on-campus vs. remote). Please encourage your exchange visitors to complete this form.
Department of State Reporting Requirements
As a reminder, ISSS is required to report incidents to the Department of State that affect the health and safety of our exchange visitors. If you have any specific concerns about individual exchange visitor’s well-being, please contact rae.alexander@uconn.edu.