The J-1 Exchange Visitor Program allows participants to transfer between two J-1 programs [i.e. two different universities or research institutions], as well as within JHU to a new department/school. There are specific steps that must be followed, as well as general criteria that must be met when determining a J-1 Exchange Visitor’s [EV] eligibility for transfer as follows:
U.S. Address Reporting Requirement
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J-1 EV must maintain J-1 status as well as a consistent J-1 program objective throughout the transfer process
Transfer must occur within the maximum duration of participation allowed by the specific J-1 category and transfer may only occur within the same J-1 category [i.e. J-1 Research Scholar to J-1 Research Scholar; except when requesting Change of Category to J-1 Alien Physician]
Transfer must occur while J-1 program is in “Active” status. Transfers are not possible during J-1 grace period or after the J-1 program has already ended
An EV who has initiated a waiver application of the 212(e) requirement through the U.S. Department of State should contact a J-1 advisor in the OIS to determine possible impact on transfer eligibility
An EV who is deemed ineligible for transfer for any reason may not be transferred
The processes outlined below are for J-1 Scholars who are transferring their J-1 under the following conditions:
Transfer-Out for J-1 transferring from Johns Hopkins University to another U.S. school/institution that sponsors J-1 Exchange Visitors
Interdepartmental Transferfor J-1 who is changing from one JHU school or department to another within Johns Hopkins
Transfer-Out [from JHU to another J-1 Program Sponsor]
J-1 EVs who intend to transfer from JHU to another J-1 program sponsor should first review the general eligibility criteria above and contact OIS with any questions. To initiate the Transfer-Out to a new J-1 program sponsor, the following steps must be completed at least two weeks prior to intended date of transfer.
Receive an offer from new J-1 Program Sponsor
Determine date of transfer [last day of employment at JHU must be one day prior to start date at new Program Sponsor]
EV must request SEVIS Program Number from new J-1 Program Sponsor’s International Office
EV should complete any required transfer-in paperwork the new Program Sponsor may require [if applicable]
The EV must maintain J-1 status throughout the transfer process including valid health insurance. The new institution will not have access to the EV’s J-1 record and cannot issue a new DS-2019 form until the date of transfer. After the date of transfer, JHU will no longer have access to the EV’s J-1 record and cannot provide further immigration guidance.
Interdepartmental Transfer [between JHU Departments/Schools]
J-1 EVs who intend to transfer internally from one JHU department to another JHU department should first review the general eligibility criteria above and contact OIS with any questions. To initiate the transfer to a new JHU department, the following steps must be completed at least three to four weeks prior to intended date of transfer.
Receive an offer from new JHU Department
Departmental Admin with NEW JHU Department must initiate an Extension/ Amendment request for the EV’s record in iHopkins
“Interdepartmental Transfer” should be selected on both the Program Information eForm [Department] and Applicant Information eForm [EV]
Determine date of transfer [last day with current JHU department must be one day prior to start date with new department]
Receive clearance for Interdepartmental Transfer
J-1 EV is responsible for coordinating the completion of Interdepartmental Transfer Form, including sections to be completed by current JHU department and NEW JHU department
The J-1 EV must maintain J-1 status throughout the transfer process. This requires that the EV maintains a valid appointment with the current JHU department until the day before transfer to the new JHU department. The appointment with the NEW JHU Department may not begin until OIS has approved the Interdepartmental Transfer and issued a new DS-2019 for the EV. Valid funding and health insurance must be maintained throughout the transfer process.
Change of Category to J-1 Alien Physician and Transfer-Out
JHU-Sponsored J-1 Research Scholars who have matched to a U.S. Residency or Clinical Fellowship program and intend to request a Change of Category to J-1 Alien Physician and transfer their J-1 status to ECFMG should first review the general eligibility criteria above and contact OIS with any questions. This is a multi-step process involving JHU, the U.S. Department of State [DOS], ECFMG/Intealth and the match site; and should be carefully coordinated to ensure a timely residency/fellowship start date.
J-1 Research Scholar Matches to U.S. Residency/Clinical Fellowship Program
After matching, the Research Scholar will receive further instructions from ECFMG/Intealth and the Training Program Liaison [TPL] at their Residency Program/Clinical Fellowship match site on requesting J-1 sponsorship in the Alien Physician Category
J-1 Research Scholars at JHU who are eligible to request a Change of Category to J-1 Alien Physician should contact [email protected] with questions on how to initiate the process
J-1 Research Scholar Requests a Change of Category to J-1 Alien Physician
Review ECFMG Change of Category Process
J-1 Research Scholars who intend to submit a request for an in-country Change of Category to J-1 Alien Physician should review the ECFMG memo: “Request for a J-1 Change of Visa Category”
Complete Change of Category Acknowledgement Form
The applicant must work with OIS to complete the “Responsible Officer/Change of Category Acknowledgment” form as follows:
Applicant must complete the top section of the form and email it to [email protected] for signature
A J-1 Advisor will complete and sign the bottom section of the form and return it to the applicant, accompanied by a letter confirming their current J-1 Research Scholar status
Submit to ECFMG to Initiate Change of Category with DOS
The applicant must provide the completed “Responsible Officer/Change of Category Acknowledgement Form” and accompanying letter back to ECFMG so they can initiate the J-1 Change of Category request through the U.S. Department of State. Note following steps and timeline:
ECFMG will submit the J-1 Change of Category request to the U.S. Department of State for review and approval [only after the applicant has submitted all required documents to ECFMG for their residency/clinical fellowship program]. This process can take anywhere from a few weeks to a few months
The applicant must maintain an active JHU appointment until they receive notification from ECFMG that the Change of Category has been approved [often this approval occurs very close to the residency start date]
The JHU hosting department should not process a resignation/early termination or place the applicant on LOA while the Change of Category request is still under review
J-1 Change of Category Approval and Transfer to ECFMG
When an applicant’s Change of Category has been approved by the Department of State, they will receive email notification from ECFMG/Intealth
The email confirms the Residency/Clinical Fellowship program start date and instructs the applicant to initiate a J-1 transfer request
ECFMG/Intealth will act as the J-1 program sponsor [NOT the match site], so the J-1 record will be transferred from JHU to ECFMG/Intealth
Follow the steps below:
Determine the “Date of Transfer”
ECFMG must receive the J-1 transfer a few days early so they have sufficient time to approve the transfer and process the new DS-2019.
Select a “transfer date” up to 5 business days prior to residency program/ clinical fellowship program start date at the match site [for example, if the residency begins on July 1st, the transfer date could be June 26th]
Complete the JHU Transfer-Out Departmental Confirmation Form
The applicant is responsible for completing and obtaining all required signatures from their JHU department on the form before uploading it to the Transfer Out eForm in iHopkins
The Departmental Confirmation form field for: “Start date of new J-1 Program” is the day that JHU transfers the J-1 record to ECFMG [i.e. up 5 business days before the residency program/ clinical fellowship start date]
The EV may not continue working at Johns Hopkins after the date of transfer
Submit Transfer-Out eForm
EV must submit Transfer-Out eForm through iHopkins [DO NOT initiate a transfer out request until ECFMG notifies you that the Change of Category has been approved]
