Short-Term Visits

There are two different J-1 categories you can choose from for short visits to Yale (Short-Term Scholar and Professor/Research Scholar.) Both allow employment at Yale or self-funded stays. Choosing the wrong J-1 category can create problems – preventing you from being able to change plans and remain at Yale longer, transferring to another U.S. school, or even affecting your ability to return to the U.S. again on the J-1 visa. Please review the following information about choosing the best category for your objectives at Yale.


J-1 Short-Term Scholar

The advantage of the J-1 Short-Term Scholar is that there is no 12 or 24 month bar that would prevent a future visit under the Research Scholar/Professor category, the most common visa type for postdoctoral researchers. This is separate and different from the “two-year home-residency requirement.” It also may be possible to return again in the J-1 Short-Term Scholar visa category, providing there is a substantial break between visits, and that each visit has a new and unique objective. The disadvantage of using the J-1 Short-Term Scholar category is that it is limited to a maximum time of 6 months with no options of extension, transfers or change of visa inside the U.S.


J-1 Research Scholar

The advantage of choosing the J-1 Research Scholar/Professor category is that if your plans change, you may extend your J status for more than six months, providing normal sponsorship terms remain (additional funding, Yale appointment, etc…) The disadvantage is that when you terminate your appointment and go home, you may not be able to return to the U.S. again on the J-1 Research Scholar/Professor category for 24 months. This rule is called the 24 month bar, and is separate and different from the “two-year home-residency requirement.”


It is not always easy to determine the best visa option for short visits to the U.S. If after reviewing the information on OISS's Web you are still uncertain which J-1 category to choose, please contact an adviser.