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Below is information for faculty members and departments interested in hosting a visiting scholar. We must receive the New Sponsorship Request in the ISSS portal in order to process a DS-2019, which the scholar must have in order to apply for a J visa. If you have any questions, please feel free to call (330-672-7980) or email isss@kent.edu.

For an overview of the scholar request process and the documents that we need, please read our Scholar Request Guide (PDF).

Department Responsibilities

OGE will help your J-1 exchange visitor maintain legal immigration status. However, we need your assistance.

As the host of a J-1 exchange visitor, you must agree to be responsible for ensuring that: 

• The J-1 visitor must possess sufficient proficiency in the English language to participate in the exchange program. You will need to set up either a Skype appointment or phone appointment to determine that the exchange visitor has sufficient proficiency in the English language to function in an English-speaking environment.
• The J-1 visitor physically reports to OGE within 30 days of arrival in the U.S. The J-1 visitor must bring his or her immigration documents and those of any J-2 dependents.
• The J-1 visitor maintains adequate health insurance for the duration of his or her program.
• The minimum health insurance requirements are determined by the U.S. Department of State and listed on page two of form DS-2019
• OGE is notified within 10 days when the J-1 visitor changes his/her residential address.
• OGE is notified if a scholar does not arrive within 30 days of the program start date as indicated on form DS-2019.
• The J-1 visitor meets regularly with you to review program activities and progress.
• The J-1 visitor understands that he or she cannot engage in professional activities that are not included on the form DS-2019 without prior written approval from you. Employment or other types of payment that are not specified on the form DS-2019 must have prior written approval from you and from OGE.
• Credentials for the scholar to log into FlashLine must be facilitated by the hosting department. ISSS will not issue them. If the scholar is being hired (e.g., as a post-doc) these credentials will continue to be generated as part of the employee on-boarding process through Human Resources and Academic Personnel. For scholars who will not be Kent State employees, the hosting academic department will need to complete a non-paid employee request through the Office of Academic Personnel (for teachers or researchers) or through Human Resources (for non-academic activities). The link to begin this process can be found on the Dynamic Forms page of the Office of Academic Personnel. The scholar will then be able to obtain a Flashcard and will also be granted access to use the library’s resources.

OGE must be notified when the J-1 visit ends his/her J-1 program for any reason, including:

• The J-1 has completed the program as scheduled.
• The J-1 completed before the end date on the DS-2019.
• The J-1 wishes to transfer to a different J-1 sponsor.
• The J-1 is changing status to a different visa type.
• The J-1 has left the University before completing the program.

Purpose of the Exchange Visitor Program

The purpose of the J Exchange Visitor Program is to implement the Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange Act (Fulbright-Hayes Act) of 1961, “to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries by means of educational and cultural exchanges.” 

Visiting Scholars at KSU

Academic departments are encouraged to take advantage of KSU’s designation as a U.S. Department of State approved Exchange Visitor Program. Scholars typically collaborate on research or teach courses, but may come for purposes of observing, training, or lecturing. Departments should designate a faculty host to assist the exchange visitor once he or she arrives to campus. In order to provide the prospective exchange visitor with adequate time to obtain a J-1 visa, make travel arrangements, etc., please complete and submit this form to the Office of Global Education as early as possible. Please be aware that for scholars coming more than 8 months in advance, OGE can only make documents 4-6 months in advance. 

Eligibility

Persons with tenure track positions, clinical residencies or student positions (e.g. Research Assistant) are NOT eligible for J-1 Professor, Scholar, or Short Term Scholar documents. 

• This form should be completed by the hosting faculty/department first. To begin the sponsorship request, you will need the scholar’s full name, email address, date of birth, gender, country of origin, and country of citizenship.
• To log in as KSU faculty or staff, navigate to the and click the Department and Scholar login button.
• If you do not see a yellow “New Sponsorship Request” button when you log into the ISSS portal, you may need to update your administrative settings. Click Admin Settings, then select ISSS: Department Persona next to “My landing page login.” Click update and log out of the system. Log back in. If you still do not see the New Sponsorship Request button, please email isss@kent.edu for assistance.
• After you submit the request, you will return to the dashboard. You can click the card for your scholar to attach any relevant documents you may have, such as a scan of the passport biographical page.
• After ISSS reviews the request, the scholar will be invited by email to register and complete information in the portal. The scholar will receive additional emails with specific instructions for next steps.
• For a video of a sponsorship request, visit the and scroll down to Sponsorship Request: Department Admin Perspective video.