J-1 Scholars

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• Exchange visitor categories and program durations: Understand the differences between professor, research scholar and short-term scholar categories — plus how long each can stay at Central Michigan University.
• Health insurance requirements for J-1 scholars: Review the U.S. Department of State’s minimum insurance coverage standards and your options for meeting them while at CMU.
• Financial support and documentation: Explore the minimum funding required for J-1 scholars and dependents, plus what’s needed before a DS-2019 can be issued.
• 12-month and 24-month repeat participation bars: Find out how past J-1 visa use might limit future participation as a professor or research scholar.
• Two-year home residency requirement (212e): See who this rule applies to and what it means for scholars returning to the U.S. after their program ends.

Exchange visitor categories and minimum requirements

• Professor: A professor primarily teaches, lectures or observes while at CMU. They may also conduct research.
  
• Research scholar: A research scholar primarily conducts research, observes or consults in connection with a research project at CMU. They may also teach or lecture.
  
• Short-term scholar: A professor, research scholar, specialist or a person with similar education or accomplishments coming to the United States on a short-term visit for the purpose of lecturing, observing, consulting, training or demonstrating special skills.
  

Health insurance requirement

Federal regulations require that all Exchange Visitors maintain health insurance coverage for the entirety of their program. The university is not required to pay for the insurance coverage but must ensure that the visitor and all accompanying dependents have valid coverage while in the United States. The health insurance coverage must meet the minimum standards below:

• Medical benefits of at least $100,000 per accident or illness.
• Expenses associated with medical evacuation of the exchange visitor to their home country in the amount of $50,000.
• Repatriation of remains in the amount of $25,000.
• A deductible that does not exceed $500 per accident or illness.
  

Please be sure to check with the Exchange Visitor before your arrival to ensure you have purchased the proper health coverage. Proof of coverage will be due to International Student and Scholar Services upon arrival to the U.S.

CMU has a health insurance plan through GeoBlue that meets the above requirements. J-1 scholars have the option to purchase GeoBlue coverage independently. For more information, visit the GeoBlue membership portal here.

Please note: Insurance provided to CMU Faculty and Staff does not meet the minimum requirements for the Exchange Visitor program. These requirements are set by the Department of State, not CMU. If you choose to use this coverage, you will be required to also purchase supplemental coverage for Medical Evacuation and Repatriation.

Financial support

All J-1 scholars must provide proof of sufficient financial support for the full duration of their stay at CMU. 

Proper financial documentation is required before a DS-2019 can be issued. 

12/24 month bars on repeat participation 

The 12- and 24-month bars are different from the two-year home country residence requirement. The 12- and 24-month rule affects J-1 exchange visitors who have been in the U.S. on a J-1 visa previously and wish to return, using the J-1 visa. The bars prohibit certain “repeat participation” in the Research Scholar or Professor categories only.

Depending on what your previous J category was, you may be subject to a 12-month bar, a 24-month bar or have no bar at all. The 12-month bar and the 24-month bar are two separate conditions, each of which must be met by a prospective Professor or Research Scholar. The exceptions to the 12-month bar are only exceptions to applicability of the 12-month bar, not exceptions to applicability of the 24-month bar and vice versa.

The 24-month bar on repeat participation applies to a J Professor or Research Scholar participant who has completed their program. Completion of program activity is just that: If the exchange visitor is no longer actively participating in the Exchange Visitor Program as a professor or Research Scholar participant, then their program is completed.

The status of the SEVIS records for exchange visitors who complete their program is necessarily listed as either 'Inactive' or 'Terminated,' as appropriate. The countdown of the 12- and 24-month bars begins the day after the status of the exchange visitor's SEVIS record becomes 'Inactive' or 'Terminated'.

To summarize:

• J-1 transfer and J-1 Short-Term Scholar participation will not trigger either the 12-month or the 24-month bar.
• For the 12-month bar, time spent physically present in any J status is the trigger: If presence is less than 6 months duration, the 12-month bar does not apply.
• For the 24-month bar, completing the program as a professor or Research Scholar is the trigger, regardless of whether the program is completed in less than six months or more than six months.
• Since the 12- and 24-month bars are separate provisions, it is possible that an individual can be concurrently subject to both bars.
  • Although from a practical standpoint, if someone is subject to both bars only the 24-month bar is significant: since satisfying the bars can also be done concurrently, by satisfying the 24-month bar an individual will already have spent more than 12 months out of J status, thus fulfilling the 12-month bar too.