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Travel

World events of the last few years have introduced changes that have a direct effect on international travel for foreign nationals. Security and background checks, along with other security-based initiatives have, in some cases, caused delays in visa issuance at U.S. consulates. These delays have in turn compromised physicians’ return to the United States in a timely fashion. If travel is absolutely necessary, it is important that, prior to any departure from the United States, ECFMG-sponsored physicians are aware of the documents they and their dependents must have in order to reenter the United States in J-1 or J-2 status.

This website provides basic information that ECFMG-sponsored physicians need to know prior to any travel outside the United States. It is intended for those physicians who have already entered the United States under ECFMG sponsorship and whose U.S. presence has been validated by ECFMG in the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS).


Preparation for International Travel

Required Documents

The following documents are required for reentry to the United States after international travel:

NOTE: Do not place the above documents in your checked baggage! Carry them with you, as you will need to present them to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Officer upon your reentry to the United States and prior to securing your baggage.

IMPORTANT:

How to Request a Travel-Validated Form DS-2019 from ECFMG

If a J-1 physician or J-2 dependents have travel plans outside the United States and they are not in possession of a travel-validated DS-2019, they must complete a Request for Duplicate Form DS-2019 for Travel and fax it to ECFMG at 215-386-9766. ECFMG will process the request within seven to ten business days and send the Form DS-2019 to the physician or Training Program Liaison by regular U.S. mail, unless otherwise instructed. If the physician wishes to receive the travel-validated Form DS-2019 by express mail, s/he must submit a completed and fully signed Request for Duplicate Form DS-2019 for Travel and mail or express mail it with a pre-addressed, pre-paid airbill to: ECFMG, 3624 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104. To pre-pay your airbill, you must include an account number for the express mail service. ECFMG cannot accept credit card numbers for this purpose. Do not enter a credit card number on the airbill or provide credit card information with your request. Due to time constraints and volume of travel requests, ECFMG staff is unable to complete airbills on applicant's behalf.

Please note that the number of requests for travel-validated Form DS-2019s received by ECFMG increases significantly at certain times of the year, such as the end of the calendar year. It is your responsibility to ensure that your request for a travel-validated DS-2019 is received by ECFMG well before your departure from the United States. In addition to the seven to ten business day processing time, you should also allow ample time for ECFMG to mail or express mail the travel-validated Form DS-2019 back to you. If you will be applying for a new J visa at a U.S. consulate, it is vital that you request and receive the travel-validated Form DS-2019 from ECFMG prior to scheduling your appointment at the U.S. consulate.

"Visa" and "Visa Status"

It is important to understand that "visa" and "visa status" are two separate things. A "visa" is the physical stamp affixed to a passport page that permits a foreign national to enter the United States in a specific visa classification. Visas may only be obtained at U.S. consulates outside of the United States. "Visa status" is the legal condition or manner under which a foreign national is present in the United States. Specifically, visa status determines an individual’s purpose for being in the United States and the objectives he or she is authorized to pursue while in the United States, such as training, studying, or working. Upon entry to the United States, a foreign national’s "visa status" is reflected on an I-94 card (Entry/Departure Record) which is issued at the U.S. port-of-entry to every entering nonimmigrant. In the case of physicians sponsored by ECFMG, the I-94 card should always reflect "J-1" status with the notation of "D/S," which stands for "Duration of Status". The expiration of the "visa" in a passport will not affect a physician if he or she is maintaining J-1 visa status in the United States. The only time a person requires a valid J-1 "visa" is if he or she is physically outside of the United States and wishes to enter the United States in J-1 status. In order to maintain J-1 visa status while in the United States, a physician must:

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Applying for a Visa at a U.S. Consulate

J-1 physicians and/or their J-2 dependents physically present outside the United States require a valid J visa stamp in their passports to reenter the United States in J visa classification. ECFMG encourages all J-1 physicians to apply for their visas as early as possible during their trip abroad and allow ample time for the visa approval process to return to the United States. The Department of State website provides general information pertaining to the J visa and travel issues.

Scheduling an Appointment at a U.S. Consulate

As a general rule, all applicants for nonimmigrant visas are required to schedule an appointment with the consulate so that the consular post can interview the applicant personally. Consular posts in some countries have drop-off or mail-in visa application procedures for applicants renewing visas if they have already been fingerprinted during a prior application. ECFMG recommends that J-1 physicians contact the U.S. embassy or consulate where they intend to apply for the visa to inquire about the consulate’s specific application procedures.

The U.S. Department of State website allows you to view the estimated wait times to schedule a visa appointment and for a visa to be processed at a specific consulate or embassy. Keep in mind that this time period does not include a security check, if required by the U.S. consulate. If you will be applying for a J visa at a U.S. consulate, it is vital that you request and receive the travel-validated Form DS-2019 from ECFMG prior to scheduling a visa appointment at the U.S. consulate.

Visa Application Documents

To renew a J-1 or J-2 visa, J-1 physicians and their J-2 dependents will need to submit the following documents to a U.S. embassy or consulate (forms can be downloaded, or obtained from any U.S. consulate):

  1. Form DS-156, Application for Nonimmigrant Visa
  2. Form DS-157, Supplemental Nonimmigrant Visa Application (Generally required of all male applicants between the ages of 16 and 45. Check with the U.S. embassy or consulate where you are applying.)
  3. Form DS-158, Contact Information and Work History for Nonimmigrant Visa Applicant
  4. Application and Reciprocity fees (check with the U.S. consulate for the current fee amounts and how they must be paid)
  5. Photograph(s) (Contact U.S. consulate for specific requirements)
  6. Valid Passport
  7. Your current DS-2019 validated for travel by a Regional Advisor at ECFMG
  8. Documents that demonstrate your nonimmigrant intent (i.e., proof that you will return home after your U.S. training)

Security Clearances

In recent years, the Department of State has been performing security checks at all U.S. embassies and consulates. Security checks can take anywhere from five business days to three months or more. A security clearance is based on a number of different factors including, but not limited to, information in your application forms and biographic information. Therefore, if you need a new visa, please consider seriously your travel plans and factor in the potential for delay associated with security clearances. If visa applicants apply for a visa stamp at a U.S. embassy or consulate in a third country (a country other than their country of citizenship or permanent residence), they must remain in that third country while they wait for visa approval and possible security clearance.

Nonimmigrant Intent

U.S. regulations require the consular officer who considers your visa application to assume that you want to immigrate to or remain permanently in the United States. In order to qualify for a J-1 or J-2 visa, you must prove that your visit to the United States will be temporary in nature and that you will return to your country after completion of your medical training in the United States. Consular officers refer to this as "nonimmigrant intent." You can try to prove your nonimmigrant intent by giving the consular officer documents that indicate that you have strong ties to your country. The stronger your financial, employment, or family ties to your home country, the more likely it is that the consular officer will believe that you intend to return home.

SEVIS Fee

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) charges a non-refundable $180 fee to initial J-1 visa applicants. J-2 dependents are exempt from this fee. The U.S. government collects this fee to cover its cost of implementing the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) database for monitoring students and exchange visitors in the United States. In most situations, if you already paid the SEVIS fee and have been continuing your training under ECFMG’s J-1 visa sponsorship, you will not be required to pay the SEVIS fee when applying for a new J-1 visa. To read more about the SEVIS fee and which visa applicants are required to pay the SEVIS fee, please refer to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) SEVIS website.

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Travel to Canada, Mexico, and Adjacent Islands of the United States

Automatic Revalidation

ECFMG-sponsored physicians and their J-2 dependents who are traveling to Canada, Mexico, and adjacent islands of the United States (except Cuba) for less than 30 days are not required to have a valid J visa in their passport upon reentry to the United States, as long as they previously entered the United States in a nonimmigrant visa category and have been maintaining valid nonimmigrant status. (See exceptions to this rule below.) To qualify for Automatic Visa Revalidation, physicians must present the following to a U.S. Customs and Border Protection Officer upon reentry to the United States:

Exceptions to the automatic revalidation rule:

1. Citizens of certain countries are not eligible for Automatic Visa Revalidation.
Citizens of certain countries (at the time of this writing, Cuba, Iran, Iraq, Libya, North Korea, Sudan, and Syria) are not eligible for Automatic Visa Revalidation and require a valid J visa each time they reenter the United States. Please be advised that the countries included on this list are subject to change.

2. Individuals who apply for a new visa stamp are not eligible for Automatic Visa Revalidation while their application is pending at a U.S. consulate or if they are denied a visa.
A J-1 physician who chooses to apply for a nonimmigrant visa stamp at a U.S. embassy or consulate in a contiguous territory (Canada, Mexico, or the adjacent islands, except Cuba) is not eligible to return to the United States under Automatic Visa Revalidation while the application is pending or if the application is denied at the U.S. embassy or consulate.

If the visa application is denied, the J-1 applicant will be required to travel directly elsewhere (most likely to his/her home country) to apply again for a U.S. visa stamp before s/he may return to the United States. Please note that this restriction applies to citizens of all countries, not just the five countries noted above.

Note: Adjacent Islands of the United States – Saint Pierre, Miquelon, The Dominican Republic, Haiti, Bermuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Jamaica, The Windward and Leeward Islands, Trinidad, Martinique, Other British, French, and Netherlands territory or possessions in or bordering on the Caribbean Sea

Applying for a Visa at a U.S. Consulate in Canada or Mexico

Applying for a visa at a U.S. Consulate in Canada or Mexico when not a citizen or permanent or resident of that country is a courtesy that is not extended to all applicants. J-1 physicians and J-2 dependents should contact the U.S. consulate before making any travel arrangements. Be sure to inform the consular officer of the circumstances of your potential application (country of birth, legal permanent residence) to ensure that you receive complete and correct information. Visa appointments in Canada may be scheduled on-line through the Visa Appointment Reservation System. Visa appointments in Mexico may be scheduled on-line through the Visa Information Service website.

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Reentry to the United States

What to Expect

When reentering the United States, you will be instructed to present to a U.S. Customs and Border Protection Officer the specific documents pertaining to your citizenship and eligibility to reenter the United States in J-1 or J-2 visa status. Refer to Required Documents for further information. Make sure that upon entry to the United States, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Officer notates your I-94 card (Entry/Departure Record) as "J-1 D/S" (or "J-2 D/S" for dependents). If your I-94 card is marked to reflect a visa status other than J-1 (or J-2) or contains a specific end date instead of "D/S" for Duration of Status, politely ask the officer to correct the card to reflect "J-1 D/S" (or "J-2 D/S" for dependents). If you are not able to have your I-94 card corrected by the officer, notify ECFMG immediately for further information on how to correct the I-94 card.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (USICE) has published a page on its website that provides thorough and helpful information on what a J-1 Exchange Visitor can expect upon reentry to the United States and the necessary documents s/he must provide.

US-VISIT (U.S. Visitor and Immigration Status Indication Technology)

Many physicians are required to comply with the entry and exit requirements of the U.S. Visitor and Immigration Status Indication Technology (US-VISIT) system when traveling through a U.S. port-of-entry.

Upon arrival in the United States, persons seeking to enter in any nonimmigrant classification may be subject to an inkless fingerprinting process and a digital photograph.

If exit procedures are in place at your chosen port of departure, you may be required to have your fingerprints, photographs, and travel documents re-scanned so that the exit may be recorded. This is usually done at a self-service kiosk.

NSEERS/Special Registration

The National Security Entry-Exit Registration System (NSEERS), also known as Special Registration, was instituted in 2002 by the U.S. Department of Justice, and is now overseen by the Department of Homeland Security. NSEERS is a system to track the arrival and departure of nonimmigrants to and from the United States. Upon entry to the United States, a determination is made as to whether a nonimmigrant is a Special Registrant, and his or her I-94 card (Entry/Departure Record) is marked accordingly. If you were designated as an NSEERS "Special Registrant" upon entry to the United States, you must comply with the established departure procedures by presenting yourself to a U.S. Customs and Border Protection Officer at your designated port of departure when exiting the United States. Failure to depart as specified is considered a violation of nonimmigrant status and can result in difficulty returning to the United States.

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Links to Government

Department of State, Bureau of Consular Affairs
U.S. Embassies and Consulates
Visa Wait Times at Embassies and Consulates
Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
U.S. Customs and Border Protection
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (USICE)

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[last update: October 27, 2008]