J-1 Exchange Visitors in the U.S.

Overview

If you are currently in the U.S. in the J-1 Exchange Visitor status, you will need to contact your current J-1 Sponsor’s Responsible Officer/Alternate Responsible Officer (RO/ARO) to discuss if you will be able to fulfill contract duties at Middlebury during the summer.

If you have questions about your status and work authorization after reading this section of our website, email isss@middlebury.edu. In the email subject line, please indicate the school or program, if you will be faculty or staff, and the type of question, so the email will be directed to the appropriate ISSS staff person. For example, if you will teach for the Chinese Language School, indicate in the email subject line: “Chinese Language School Faculty: J-1 work authorization question.”

Employees must be able to show they have a valid work authorization by no later than the start date of their Middlebury contract, preferably earlier. If you are unable to show you have authorization for the period of your contract or are unable to obtain work authorization by your contract start date, you will not be able to work for Middlebury. The earlier ISSS can determine you will have work authorization the better.

All hires for the Middlebury College summer programs are considered full-time employees unless the contract specifies part-time. If the contract letter does not specify part-time employment or working less than 40 hours per week, the expectation is that it’s a full-time role requiring authorization for full-time work.

There are three ways your current J-1 Sponsor may be able to support your intention to work at Middlebury by:

Transferring your existing J-1 SEVIS record to Middlebury, or
Adding Middlebury as a site of activity in your existing J-1 SEVIS record, or
Authorizing J-1 Student Academic Training (employment authorization) for the summer contract.

J-1 Transfer-In (J-1 professors, short-term scholars)

Some J-1 sponsors prefer to transfer your J-1 SEVIS record to Middlebury for the duration of the Middlebury contract. (You then may be eligible to request a SEVIS transfer back to your academic year sponsor after the Middlebury program if you anticipate working for another J-1 sponsor after the program ends.) To legally transfer a J-1 SEVIS record from one sponsor to another sponsor, the following conditions must be met.

Your primary purpose cannot change. For example, if your primary purpose (or program) with your current sponsor is to teach Russian and you were hired by the Middlebury Russian Language School to teach Russian then your primary purpose is not going to change. However, if your primary purpose is to conduct research in chemistry, then your sponsor cannot legally transfer your J-1 record to Middlebury to teach Russian.
Middlebury College can only accept the transfer of your J-1 SEVIS record up to 30 calendar days before the start date listed in your contract letter (i.e. if your contract start date is June 21, we can accept your J-1 SEVIS record transfer no earlier than May 22.)

If your J-1 sponsor decides to transfer your J-1 SEVIS record to allow you to work at Middlebury, please do the following steps:

Email isss@middlebury.edu and provide your current J-1 Sponsor’s RO or ARO name and email so ISSS can contact them directly. In the email subject line, please indicate the Middlebury summer program that hired you and “J-1 transfer-in” in the subject line of the email (i.e. “Russian Language School – J-1 Transfer-in”).
Complete the DS-2019 Application for International Faculty and Staff . For more information about the DS-2019 application and its requirements, including proof of English Language Proficiency (ELP), review this page.

ISSS will only be able to produce and issue you a transfer Form DS-2019 after the electronic release date of your SEVIS record to Middlebury from your current J-1 sponsor.

Middlebury can only offer J-1 sponsorship to individuals pursuing in-person programs. If you are working for a Middlebury school or program that is offered remotely and you will be working for the remote program only, Middlebury may not be able to accept your SEVIS J-1 transfer record. Please email isss@middlebury.edu if this applies to you.

DS-2019 Issuance Process Timeline

Middlebury will be able to access the transferred SEVIS J-1 record on or after the date of release that your current sponsor inputs into SEVIS. ISSS strives to issue a Middlebury DS-2019 through the DS-2019 transfer process within 1 business week from the SEVIS release date or the date we receive a completed DS-2019 application, whichever is later.

A complete DS-2019 application includes all required supporting documents, including evidence showing you meet or exceed the ELP requirement. (For those who require an interview to confirm your ELP, your DS-2019 application is not considered complete until the ELP confirmation is received by ISSS.)

It is important to submit all requested documentation as soon as you can and respond promptly to all ISSS emails to avoid delays. It can take 2-4 months to obtain the J visas from a U.S. Embassy or Consulate. When we issue the DS-2019 and send it to you electronically, we provide details on how to apply for the J visa.

International travel during the SEVIS record transfer process

If you will remain in the U.S. and will not travel internationally before your arrival at the Middlebury Language School site or summer program, you can choose to wait to obtain your Middlebury-issued DS-2019 from ISSS upon your arrival to Middlebury. You will be provided the Middlebury DS-2019 when you meet with ISSS on the designated check-in day for your school or program.

If you are traveling internationally before your arrival to your Middlebury Language School site or summer program AND you will not re-enter the U.S. until after the SEVIS transfer release date of your J-1 record to Middlebury, you MUST have a Middlebury-issued DS-2019 to re-enter the United States and, if needed, to apply to renew your J-1 visa stamp in your passport if your most recent one will be expired at time of re-entry.

If you will travel before the start of your Middlebury program and you will continue with your current J-1 sponsor after working at Middlebury, your current J-1 sponsor may be able to wait to transfer your SEVIS record to Middlebury until after you re-enter the United States and before your start date at Middlebury. This would allow you to use your academic year DS-2019 to re-enter the U.S. and/or to apply for a J-1 visa renewal (if needed). You should discuss your travel plans and the transfer release date with both your current J-1 sponsor and ISSS to determine if this is an option.

International travel while transferring a J-1 record to a new sponsor may create an unintended short timeframe for DS-2019 issuance. If it is determined that you will need a Middlebury DS-2019 to use for re-entry to the United States before working at Middlebury, please make sure you follow all the required steps as soon as you can and respond promptly to any communications from ISSS and your current J-1 Sponsor RO/ARO to prevent problematic delays.

You may need to apply for a new J-1 visa in your passport before returning to the U.S. if your current J-1 visa stamp is or will be expired at the time you intend to re-enter the United States. ISSS may be able to offer guidance regarding visa processing timelines, if a new visa is needed. You will not need to pay the SEVIS I-901 fee again, as your SEVIS ID number will remain the same for the Middlebury-issued DS-2019.

J-1 Site of Activity Authorization (Non-student categories)

Some J-1 sponsors will allow you to remain on their DS-2019 and will add Middlebury as an additional Site of Activity in your J-1 SEVIS record to allow to be authorized to work at and be paid by Middlebury. The primary purpose of your current J-1 program must be related to the position you will hold at Middlebury. For example, if your primary program purpose under your J-1 Sponsor is teaching language, you could be authorized to teach the same language at Middlebury for the summer. If your sponsor is willing to add Middlebury as an additional site of activity, please follow the instructions below.

If your current sponsor has agreed to add Middlebury College as an additional site of activity to your current J-1 SEVIS DS-2019 record, upload the following documents through our secure Document Submission Form. For privacy and security reasons, do NOT email the documents.

Copy of your most recent DS-2019;
Copy of your passport ID page and most recent J-1 visa stamp page;
Copy of your most recent entry stamp, if applicable;
Copy of your most recent I-94 record (obtained from www.cbp.gov/i94); and
Either a letter from the RO/ARO or a copy of the SEVIS screen showing Middlebury as an additional site of activity and that your salary, plus the amount for room and board, has been added to your funding.

Note: Your J-1 sponsor should add the Middlebury salary plus room and board to your funding and input the proper name and address of your additional site of activity in your SEVIS record.

Site of Activity Addresses:

In the addresses given below, replace “X” with the name of your specific school (for example, Arabic School or School of Environment or Bread Loaf School of English).
If you are joining Middlebury to work in a summer program that is not listed below and intend to add Middlebury as a site of activity, please contact ISSS to request the specific address to add to SEVIS.

The Language Schools and The School of the Environment are located in Bennington, VT, Monterey, CA, or Middlebury, VT. Use the relevant site address listed below.

Arabic, Italian, and Portuguese Language Schools are located at Bennington College. The site address is: