International Student & Scholar Services

Certification Of Eligibility For The J Visa To Be Issued (Form DS-2019)

The hosting department is responsible for verifying the eligibility of the Exchange Visitor and for collecting the information and any supporting documentation required, prior to requesting the eligibility form to be issued to the Exchange Visitor. Please be aware that the collection and completion of the required documents could take some time. Do not expect your visitor to come to Florida Tech in under a month's time.

The hosting department must verify that the proposed Exchange Visitor is eligible for the program based on the following criteria:

• The individual is qualified and accepted for the program in which s/he will participate; must show proof of a degree level; outside the student category, a Master's degree to Bachelor's degree with appropriate experience in the relevant field is required;
• Verification of English language proficiency as required to participate in the program; at least intermediate level of English proficiency is needed at Florida Tech;
• Official documentation of adequate financial resources (for self and accompanying dependents) to complete the program;
• Has not been in the US in Exchange Visitor status (J-1) for more than 6 months during the 12 months preceding the start date of the current requested program;
• For Research Scholars and Professors: the individual has not been in the US in a J Research Scholar or Professor program during the previous two years.

Once the eligibility of the Exchange Visitor has been established, all the required forms and documents have been completed and collected and given to the ISSS Office, the ISSS Office can then issue the Certificate of Eligibility for Exchange Visitor Status (DS-2019) for the exchange visitor. The form DS-2019 has information about the Exchange Visitor and the proposed Exchange Program, and is used by the visitor to obtain the J-1 visa. This part of the process could take a minimum of five working days.