Maintaining J-1 Visa Status

It is important to know the difference between “visa” and “visa status.”

• A visa is the physical stamp affixed to a passport page reflecting the approved visa classification for which the foreign national may enter the United States. Visas are issued only at U.S. consulates outside of the United States. A valid visa (stamp) is required for entry/re-entry to the United States; however, it can expire once an individual is present in the United States. It is only required for entry or re-entry. (Note that Canadian citizens are not required to obtain a visa.)


• Visa status is the legal grouping under which the foreign national is categorized once physically present in the United States. Visa status is granted by the customs official at the U.S. port-of-entry or by the regional service center of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). Foreign nationals are required to maintain valid visa status while present in the United States.

Intealth-sponsored J-1 visa status requires ongoing full-time participation in an approved program of graduate medical education (GME). In addition to meeting the academic standards required to progress through residency, J-1 physicians must maintain valid visa status in order to continue to train at U.S. teaching hospitals. Maintaining status requires, but is not limited to, the following:

• Possession of required documents/records confirming visa status:
  • Current Form DS-2019 reflecting an active SEVIS record
  • I-94 record with “Duration of Status” (D/S) or future end date
  • Valid, unexpired passport*
• Mandatory residential address reporting:
  • Report any change in U.S. residential address via MyIntealth within 10 days of any move.
  • It is the responsibility of all J-1 physicians to maintain and update contact information throughout the course of training. Intealth uploads all address changes to SEVIS .
• Notification to Intealth of any proposed changes to the approved training program or curriculum, including location, course of training, leaves of absence, termination, remediation, etc., and any serious incident or allegation impacting the J-1 physician or J-2 dependent. Find required reporting forms at https://www.ecfmg.org/evsp/resources.html.

Furthermore, Intealth sponsorship authorizes participation in a specific training activity and associated financial compensation, as reflected on the Form DS-2019. Work outside of the approved training program/institution (“moonlighting”) is strictly prohibited. J-1 physicians may, with the approval of their program director, engage in supplemental clinical activities at their training site with submission to Intealth of the required form. Further information on this subject is available at https://www.ecfmg.org/evsp/evspemot.pdf.

Review Selected Regulations for other requirements and special considerations during your J-1 visa sponsorship, including information on change in specialty, address reporting, and mandatory insurance coverage. Failure to comply with the requirements of J visa status can result in SEVIS Termination and seriously impact an individual’s eligibility for a future U.S. visa application or stay.

*Upon passport renewal, a copy of the new passport name page and the details of the new passport should be entered into the “Applicant/Dependent Supplemental Information” section of the J-1 Sponsorship area of MyIntealth.