A. Type of request
B. Biographical information
C. J-2 dependents
D. Sites of activity and program information
E. Financial support information
A. Type of request
Indicate the type of DS-2019 request being submitted by checking the appropriate box and providing any requested information.
| Type of request | Circumstances & instructions |
|---|---|
| Begin a new program accompanied by (#) ___ immediate family members | Check this box if the request is for a new J-1 exchange visitor (EV). If the EV‘s immediate family (spouse and unmarried children under 21) will accompany or follow to join the EV in the U.S. as J-2 dependents, enter the number of J-2s in the blank. If family members are not planning to come to the U.S. as J-2 dependents at all, enter “0” in the blank. |
| Extend an ongoing program with (#) ___ immediate family members | Select this option to extend a current EV‘s program. If J-2 dependents need extensions, enter the number of dependents in the blank. |
| Transfer to UH | Choose this option if the EV is already in the U.S. under another organization’s J-1 EV program and will transfer to UH sponsorship. |
| Amend/update a previous Form DS-2019 | Select this option to report changes in funding, program dates, new/additional sites of activity, and/or internal transfer to a different UH college/school/department/unit. |
| Permit visitor’s (#) ___ immediate family members to enter the U.S. separately | Check this box to request Form DS-2019s for J-2 dependents who have changed their minds and decided to come to the U.S. A completed J-2 Information Form must be included with the request. |
| Reinstatement request to DOS | Used only on very rare occasions, this option can be used to request that the U.S. Department of State (DOS) reinstate an EV to J-1 status if they have failed to maintain legal status in the U.S. The department will need to pay a reinstatement fee. |
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B. Biographical information
- Passport name: Enter the prospective exchange visitor’s (EV’s) full name as it appears on the machine-readable portion of the passport, beginning with the surname/primary/family (last) name, followed by the given name(s) (normally, the given names are the person’s first and middle names). Do not provide only initials and do not enter special characters, such as apostrophes.
- Gender: Indicate “M” for male or “F” for female.
- Birth date: Enter the date of birth using the mm/dd/yyyy format (e.g., 03/18/1997 for March 18, 1997); City of Birth: Enter the city in which the EV was born. The province, prefecture, township, district, etc. may be used in place of the city in accordance with local custom or regulation requirements; Country of birth: Enter the country in which the EV was born.
- Country of citizenship: Enter the EV‘s country of citizenship, which should be the passport-issuing country. The country of citizenship may differ from the person’s country of birth or country of legal permanent residence; Country of legal permanent residence: Enter the country of legal permanent residence if it differs from the country of citizenship. In most cases, the country of legal permanent residence will be the same as the country of citizenship. However, sometimes an EV may have migrated from the country of birth and/or citizenship to another country. Do not assume that the country of birth, country of citizenship, and country of legal permanent residence are the same. You need to specifically request this information from the EV. The country of citizenship and the country of legal permanent residence has a direct bearing on the applicability of the two-year foreign residence requirement of the exchange visitor program regulations.
- City: Enter the city of the U.S. embassy/consulate where the EV will apply for their J-1 visa; Country: Enter the country of the U.S. embassy/consulate where the EV will apply for their J-1 visa. Note: EV can check the embassy’s website for visa application requirements.
- Highest degree & major/field: Enter the highest educational degree (e.g., bachelor’s, master’s, PhD, etc.) the EV has been awarded. Also enter the major/field in which the degree was conferred. To qualify for most EV categories, the EV must have already received a bachelor’s degree in a relevant field.
- Degree-granting institution: Enter the college/university/institution that awarded the degree in B.6.
- Institution/employer in home country: Enter the name of the organization/institution where the EV is employed/in attendance in the home country.
- Position in home country & position code: Enter the position (e.g., Assistant Professor) the EV holds with the institution/employer identified in B.8. Also, enter the position code that best corresponds to this position (see the list of position codes).
- Email address: Enter the EV’s current email address.
- US home address: If the EV is currently residing in the U.S., provide the street address of the residence. Do not provide a P.O. Box in this field. If the EV does not live in the U.S., enter “N/A.”
- US mailing address: If the EV is currently residing in the U.S. at a residence where mail cannot be delivered, enter the P.O. Box or other address where mail can be delivered. If the mailing address is the same as the home address, enter “N/A.” If the EV does not live in the U.S., enter “N/A.”
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C. J-2 dependents
Check “no” if family members will never come to the U.S. as J-2 dependents.
Check “yes” if the EV‘s spouse and minor (under 21 years of age) or unmarried children may accompany or follow to join the EV in the U.S. as J-2 dependents. If family members will come to the U.S. at any time during the program as J-2 dependents, check off “yes” and submit a completed J-2 Information Form along with copies of each person’s passport biodata/identification page. FSIS will issue Form DS-2019s for them to use for J-2 visa application and entry when they are ready to enter the U.S.
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D. Sites of activity and program information
- UH college/school & department: Enter the UH sponsoring department’s main office address, including the street address, building, and room number.
- Lab/other location of program activities: If the EV will conduct program activities in a lab or other location/office/room that differs from the sponsoring unit’s main office, enter the name of the organization/location, street address, building, and room number of the site.
- Location of EV‘s desk/workspace: If the EV will be assigned an office or desk/work space in another room/location that differs from the addresses and rooms identified in D.1 and D.2, enter the name of the organization/location, street address, building, and room number where the desk or workspace will be located.
- J-1 category: Select the appropriate EV category.
- Requested program start and end dates: Dates entered here must match the dates on the invitation letter and evidence of financial support. Use the mm/dd/yyyy format (e.g., 05/01/2020 for May 1, 2020). The requested period may not exceed the maximum duration of participation allowed for the specific EV category. If a request is submitted less than three months prior to the requested start date, FSIS may require that a sponsoring unit delay the start date to allow enough time for the EV to receive the Form DS-2019, obtain a J-1 visa from a U.S. embassy or consulate, and to enter the U.S.
- Specific 6-digit subject/field code that best describes the area of research/teaching/study: Enter the 6-digit code for the subject/field of activity which most closely describes the principal activity the EV will undertake. The codes are listed on the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics website. Try to be as specific as possible; avoid using the “General” code for the major subject field.
- Specific subject/field title: Enter the title that corresponds to the 6-digit code identified in D.7. The titles are listed with the codes on the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics website.
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E. Financial support information
The EV must be able to show evidence of sufficient financial support for the full program period being requested:
- A minimum of $3,000 per month for the exchange visitor
- An additional minimum of $900 per month for J-2 spouse
- An additional minimum of $700 per month for each J-2 child
Indicate the total estimated amount of financial support, including any personal funds, to be provided for the full program period. Include any other support being provided for expenses such as airfare, housing, per diem, stipend, salary, honorarium, etc. in the total.
All amounts need to be expressed in U.S. dollars. If the financial statements are in foreign currency, include a currency conversion to U.S. dollars.
Select all applicable funding types and enter the necessary information.
| Type of Funding | Instructions |
|---|---|
| University of Hawaiʻi (program sponsor) | If UH is providing funding, select this option and enter the total amount of funding if UH is the source of funds. Check the “has” box only if UH is administering funds from the federal government specifically for international exchange. State funds and extramural research grants to UH (which could be used for any stipend recipient/employee) do not constitute U.S. government funding for international exchange purposes. Thus, in most cases, “has not” should be checked. Submit the appropriate documentation of funding (PNF, UH FSIS J-1 Stipend Form, Form 6, or consultant contract) with the request. |
| Other organizations providing support* | Select this option if the EV is receiving funding from their home university salary, stipend, paid sabbatical leave, or other organizations to participate in the program. Enter the name of each organization and the funding amount. Submit an official award letter from the organization (amount of funding, dates of funding, signature, any additional details of agreement) with the request. |
| Personal funds* | Enter the total amount of personal funds the EV is setting aside for the J-1 EVP in U.S. dollars. Submit a current bank statement/other financial record (no more than three months old) with the request. |
*For non-UH funding, the EV Program period for DS-2019 requests is limited to one year at a time.
Government funding
Check “no” if none of the funding for the program was provided by the government of the EV’s home country or by the U.S. government for the specific purpose of participation in an international educational or cultural exchange program. Common examples of government funding include but are not limited to: a public foreign university’s grant of funds that are contingent on exchange program participation, U.S. federal funds given directly to the J-1 for exchange purposes rather than granted to UH for a research project, etc.
Check “yes” if foreign and/or U.S. government funding were provided to this exchange visitor for program participation. List the names of the organizations and countries that provided the money and provide the amounts of funding from each organization.
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