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Student Visitors

The process of requesting J-1 Student Intern visa status begins with the host department. Once the NU department has submitted a complete request to the OISS, the OISS advisor will review the documents and will issue the Exchange Visitor (EV) a DS-2019 and DS-7002, which is used to obtain his/her J-1 visa stamp at the U.S. embassy/consulate outside the U.S.

 View the Steps for Incoming j-1 Student Interns.

Steps for Host Department

1. Collect required documents.

  • Send the Exchange Visitor DS-2019 Request  and the J-1 Student Intern Student Supplement to prospective Exchange Visitor (EV) for completion (electronic copies are acceptable). It must be returned to the host department along with associated documents.
  • Obtain an approved Visiting Scholar Health Insurance Application (VSHI) OR obtain a waiver of the Visiting Scholar Health Insurance, both through the Office of Risk Management.
  • Confirm English Language Proficiency and complete the English Proficiency Attestation, this includes collecting the supporting documents. This is not required for extensions.
  • Obtain funding documentation. When submitting bank statements, institutional letters of support or bank letters please use the following guidelines:
    • Documents must have been issued within the last 3 months.
    • The EV must be named as account holder or recipient of the letter of support.
    • The letter must be in English or notarized English translation.
    • If the funding information is an institutional letter of support, the dates of coverage and total amount of support must be present.
  • Complete the DS-2019 Request and the J-1 Student Intern Department Supplement and obtain required signatures. Collect all documents on the checklist.

2. Scan and email the documents to the Office of International Student and Scholar Services.

Complete requests should be emailed as one PDF to EVrequest@northwestern.edu

  • Email subject: "LAST NAME, Start Date" (e.g. WILDCAT, 04/01/2013)
  • File name: "DS2019Req_LAST NAME, First Name" (e.g. DS2019Req_WILDCAT, Willie)

The request will be forwarded to the appropriate advisor, who will be in contact with the Department and/or the EV with any questions or missing paperwork.

3. The OISS Advisor issues the DS-2019 and DS-7002.

  • The Office of International Student and Scholar Services will issue forms DS-2019 and DS-7002,  and send as a signed digital copy the department contact listed on DS2019 Department Request Form, via email.
  • Please notify scholar advisor immediately if there are any inaccuracies, so we can amend as needed and re-issue the associated document.
  •  Department contact will then need to have sponsoring PI/supervisor sign form DS-7002, and send back as a pdf to the scholar advisor.
  • Scholar advisor will forward signed copies of both DS-2019 and DS-7002 to the J-1 scholar along with email outlining further instructions for making a visa appointment at the nearest US Consulate abroad.