J-1 Scholar Application
J-1 Scholar Application
J-1 Scholar Application
A prospective scholar will need to receive the Form DS-2019 from the International Center in order to apply for the J-1 visa.
The process for inviting a J-1 scholar should begin at least 4 months prior to the proposed start date to ensure ample processing time. It is the hosting department’s responsibility to provide all of the requested documents and information, as well as making sure the scholar completes all required steps in a timely fashion.
Only the host department/faculty member can initiate the application process; prospective scholars cannot initiate the process on their own!
Please do not hesitate to contact the International Center if there are any questions about this process
Steps to Invite a Scholar on J-1 Status
1. Gather and Submit Documents
Please send all of the required documents to the International Center (rowanic@rowan.edu) or to the Responsible Officer who handles the J-1 program via email.
2. Order a Background Check
In accordance with Rowan University policy, all prospective J-1 scholars must pass a background check. It is the responsibility of the hosting department to arrange this.
The hosting faculty member must contact hr@rowan.edu to request the background check on the scholar. Please provide HR with the scholar’s full name and email address.
The scholar will receive an automated email from Truescreen with instructions on how to complete the background check screening. Please instruct the scholar to monitor their inbox and spam folder for this email.
After HR confirms that the background check has been completed, please notify the International Center. We cannot issue the DS-2019 until this has been completed.
3. Access the Terra Dotta Portal
A few days after the International Center receives the documents from step 1, both the scholar and the host faculty member will receive an invitation email to access Terra Dotta, the scholar portal.
Next steps for department: Log into Terra Dotta and open the new scholar’s record. Click on the “Department” tab of the scholar’s record. Enter all of the information—do not leave any section blank—and click save at the bottom.
Next steps for the scholar: Create your Terra Dotta account, log in, and click on the “Exchange Visitor” tab of your record. Enter all of the required information—do not leave any section blank, except for the U.S. address information—and click save at the bottom.
Please notify the International Center once this is complete.
4. Export Control Screening
This next step will be completed by the International Center. We will contact the Office of Research Compliance to request an Export Control screening on the scholar. The scholar will receive an email from the Export Control team providing instructions on how to complete this process.
Once this is complete, the International Center can proceed with issuing the DS-2019.
5. DS-2019 Issuance
After steps 1-4 are complete, the International Center will review all of the scholar’s documents. If clarification is needed, we will reach out to the scholar and/or department.
Once the DS-2019 is issued, the department and scholar will receive an email with next steps.
6. Proceed to Visa Application
The scholar can then proceed to the next steps, including securing health insurance and applying for the J-1 visa. Click below for more information.
