Academic Departments – Office of International Services

Academic Departments

OIS is accepting requests for DS-2019s for new incoming scholars and student interns. Please review the following information prior to beginning the DS-2019 request process:

If your scholar cannot yet schedule a visa interview, you should not request the DS-2019 document at this time. Routine visa processing has still not resumed at many embassies around the world. There is no organized list of which areas have resumed visa processing, but prospective scholars can check with their local consulate/embassy or you may visit the Department of State website to look up visa appointment wait times for specific locations. Please be aware that prospective visitors may experience delayed arrival dates due to limited appointment slots and backlogs. Visa stamping appointments and processing is solely under the discretion of the U.S. Department of State and, therefore, OIS cannot assist in securing earlier appointment dates for our international scholars.
If you cannot guarantee the legally required number of work hours for your scholar due to changes caused by the COVID-19 virus, you should not request a DS-2019 at this time. Immigration regulations require that scholars must work at least 30 hours per week (32 hours for student interns).
If your prospective scholar cannot conduct their research/program on campus in-person, please do not request a DS-2019. We recognize that although most research labs on campus have reopened, some departments or faculty members are still operating remotely. The latest guidance issued by the U.S. Department of State on April 22, 2022states “…that new exchange visitors can participate in programs only if their host organizations (e.g. schools or businesses) have reinstated partial to full in-person activities.” Therefore, sponsors must meet formal in-person requirements before hosting new participants, and thus scholars cannot travel to the U.S. to begin a J-1 program that will be completely remote. Current scholars already in the U.S. may continue to work remotely due to COVID-19 considerations if necessary, as long as a supervision structure remains in place. While a limited hybrid option is available for J-1 scholars, a fully or predominantly virtual exchange program is not permitted. If you have specific questions about current scholars and remote work please email ois@ncsu.edu.

If none of the restrictions listed above apply, you may move forward with requesting an initial DS-2019 at this time. Please bear in mind the following considerations when choosing a start date for your scholar:

Backlog in visa processing means your scholar may have to wait weeks or even months after their visa interview to actually receive the visa and be able to travel.
International flights are still extremely limited, and it may take your scholar several weeks to find a flight after they have received their visa.
Refer to the CDC guidance for guidelines regarding enhanced precautions after any travel, and build in time before a requested start date for any self-quarantining, etc.
OIS continues to recommend a lead time of 90 days between the date the department submits the completed DS-2019 request and the desired program start date due to on-going delays in visa processing and travel.
You should not request a program start date immediately before or during official university holidays.
Remember, your scholar is allowed to enter the U.S. in the 30-day window prior to their DS-2019 start date. Please notify OIS of all changes to a J-1 scholar’s program dates so we can ensure their SEVIS record is adjusted accordingly.