J-1 Short-Term Scholar

Length of Stay:

Up to 6 months

Purpose of Visit:

To lecture, teach, observe, or attend seminar or conference

Processing Time:

Processed by OISS
Allow 6 to 8 weeks* for OISS to process and send immigration document to scholar

*Does not include time waiting for a visa appointment [2] and USCIS's visa processing time

Application Considerations:

Apply no later than 4 months prior to the start date

Immigration Sponsorship:

Yale

Financial Support:

Any source including personal funding [3], subject to the applicable appointment policy

Special Notes & Considerations:

Fastest non-immigrant option; takes the least amount of time to process.
Not subject to the 12 or 24 month bar [4], which they would be if using the J-1 Research Scholar/Professor category.
Dependents hold J-2 status and can apply for work authorization.
May be subject to the two year home country resident requirement [5].
May transfer [6] between different U.S. schools inside the U.S but there can be no gap between employers.
Must return home after J-1 stay.
Back-to-back J-1 scholar visits aren’t allowed; must have at least one academic semester apart and for a different J-1 objective.