Maintaining status
J-1 exchange visitors are responsible for maintaining legal status while in the U.S. The following practices and procedures should prove beneficial in maintaining your status while at VCU.
- Register with the GEO’s immigration services within the first few days of your arrival in Richmond. Please bring your passport, your DS-2019 and I-94 card (as well as those of your dependents) to our office at 817 W. Franklin St. For directions to our office, please refer to VCU’s campus maps.
- If you are to be employed by VCU or the VCU Medical Center, please note that you may not begin working until you have completed the form I-9 with your department.
- Keep your passport, as well as those of your dependents, valid at all times while in the U.S.
- Maintain mandatory health insurance that meets the J visa requirements. Government regulations stipulate that if you willfully fail to carry the required health insurance for you and your J-2 status dependents, your J-1 sponsor must terminate your program.
- Maintain the necessary documents for travel abroad and re-entry into the U.S. in the proper visa classification. When planning to travel abroad during your exchange visitor program, check with GEO’s immigration services if a calendar year has passed since your DS-2019 was issued. If it has, an updated DS-2019 may be issued. Also check the J-1 visa stamp in your passport. It must be valid in order for you to be permitted to re-enter the U.S., no matter what the end date on your DS-2019 may state.
- Only engage in those activities specified in item No. 5 on your DS-2019. The description of the exchange visitor program in which you are participating is very specific. It does not permit you to enter into another program of activity or employment, or to change your visa status easily. Activities that are not specifically noted in the program description on the DS-2019 and for which you will receive compensation from a source other than VCU are prohibited. If you wish to make any changes in your activities inside the U.S., consult with a GEO immigration services staff member before engaging in these activities. Note: Changes of category within the J visa, such as a change from the research scholar category to the student category, require special permission from the U.S. Department of State and are rarely granted. You should not enter the U.S. in one J visa category with the intention of changing to another one at a later date.
- File the required forms and take any other actions to ensure your compliance with U.S. tax laws. All J-1 visa holders and their dependents are required to file U.S. income tax returns — even if they do not receive any income from a U.S. source. If you earn money from a U.S. source, you may be liable to pay federal and state income taxes. If you have further questions about your tax status in the U.S., contact the VCU Payroll Office at (804) 828-0740.
