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Exchange Visa Health Insurance FAQ



The new regulations require your J program sponsor to terminate your status in the U.S. if you willfully fail to comply with the insurance requirement.


A visiting foreign scholar is a person who comes to the university temporarily, mainly to teach, do research, or both. The broad term “visiting foreign scholar” encompasses, for example, Fulbright scholars who come to teach, post doctoral research fellows, and visiting professors. Some foreign scholars are at the university for only a few days; others remain for three years. Visiting foreign scholars come to the University for academic enterprises, not for non-academic employment.

Visiting foreign scholars normally hold a visa known as a J-1 or exchange-visitor visa. Some people who acquire J-1 status are subject to what is known as the two-year, home-country physical presence requirement. Dependents (spouses and children below the age of 21 of J1 visa holder) are in a status called J-2.


The prospective scholar must obtain a “visa” from the United States embassy or a United States consulate in his or her own country. To obtain a J-1 visa from an American embassy or consular post abroad, the prospective scholar must have a Form DS-2019 from the American institute inviting the scholar.