INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS

Participants who are not U.S. citizens or U.S. Permanent Residents must be admitted to the U.S. in the appropriate visa status.

The Office of International Services (OIS) advises that all Bloomberg School of Public Health Institute participants enter the U.S. on a J-1 Exchange Visitor visa in order to participate in the Summer Institutes. Based on guidance from the United States Citizenship & Immigration Service (USCIS), participants are strongly encouraged to follow the appropriate steps to secure a J-1 Exchange Visitor Visa for participation in a BSPH Institute. BSPH Institute participants do not meet institutional standards for F-1 student visa sponsorship, and the B1/B2 or visa waiver program are not appropriate statuses for participation in the Institutes. The OIS, in cooperation with the BSPH Summer Institutes, will sponsor participants for J-1 Exchange Visitor status. [Note: Internet MPH students who are participating in the Institutes must apply for F-1 student visas, since they are pursuing a degree program. Exceptions are made only on a case-by-case basis.]

It can take several months to secure the appropriate visa stamp to enter the United States, so please plan accordingly. Specifically, individuals who will require F1 or J1 visas must submit all required documentation to the Bloomberg School 90 days in advance of the Institute in which they will participate.

Institute participants who do not heed this advice risk being denied entry to the U.S. at the port of entry by USCIS. If you have any questions about visa sponsorship, please contact J1-scholars@jhmi.edu.

For more information, please visit the Office of International Services' website at http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/intlsvcs/.

TO REQUEST YOUR J-1 VISA, PLEASE FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS BELOW:

You will receive an email with instructions on how to access a web portal called iHopkins. The email will ask you to fill out the J-1 Applicant Information E-Form and, if applicable, the SEVIS Dependent E-Form (the SEVIS Dependent E-Form is the form you will need to complete if you plan to bring a spouse or dependent child on a J-2 dependent visa). You will need to provide a copy of your passport biographical page with the request as well as funding documentation. Your institute coordinator will work with the OIS to ensure that you receive your DS-2019. If you have not received an email with instructions to access the iHopkins web portal and complete the J-1 Applicant Information E-Form, please contact your institute coordinator.