Upon arrival to the U.S., J-1 scholars are expected to complete the mandatory steps below. Please contact us if you experience issues.
All Scholar must complete SEVIS validation to check in with UMass and the U.S. Government. Please complete the Arrival Form* after you enter the United States.
To access the Arrival Form, you will need your TEMP ID and your Limited Access Pin. Both can be found in the “DS-2019 Start Date is Approaching” email.
To complete the Arrival Form, you will need the following information:
- I-94
- Go to “Get Most Recent I-94” at the top of the website. Click “I Acknowledge and Agree” and then enter your passport information. You should get an I-94—make a .pdf or screenshot of the I-94.
- DS-2019
- This must be signed by the consulate in the mid-left side of the document. You should also sign this at the bottom.
- J-1 Visa stamp
- This is the stamp provided by the U.S. Consulate (do not upload your passport biographical page).
- Insurance Documents
- J-1 Scholars and their dependents are required to have insurance at all times. We expect that the insurance document provided will cover you for at least the first six months of your J-1 program.
- Residential Address (where you live; not your UMass office address). See Example below:
U.S. Residential Address 1 123 Main St Apt 4 U.S. Residential Address 2 Apt 4B U.S. Residential Address City Amherst U.S. Residential Address State Massachusetts (MA) U.S. Residential Address Postal Code 01003 - U.S. Phone Number (if you have one)
- Dependent Documents (if they arrived with you): J-2 DS-2019s, J-2 visa stamps
Once you have collected and entered all the requested information, please hit the submit button. You will be notified by email that the Arrival Form is in the ISSS processing queue. Once reviewed and approved, you will receive an approval email.
If you do not complete the J-1 Arrival Form within 30 days after the start date on your DS-2019, your J-1 status will go inactive.
*Note: J-1 Scholars who are transferring their J-1 record from another institution to UMass must complete the J-1 Arrival Form but do not need to attend orientation.
Once your Arrival Form has been approved, ISSS will provide a Social Security Letter and initiate your NENS (not employee, not student) access.
- NENS access
- NENS access provides access to university systems and UMass email. You should receive an email from OIT within 72 hours of the Arrival Form approval.
- SSN Letter
- Your SSN letter will be available for pickup in our lobby within 2 business days of Arrival Form approval. Review our SSN instructions here. If you are paid by UMass, you are required to get an SSN. Unpaid scholars may choose to apply for an SSN.
- UCard
- The UCard office will be notified to create your UMass ID. Please work directly with the UCard office for this.
J-2 Dependents are not eligible for NENS access (unless a UMass employee), an SSN (unless they apply through the I-765 for work authorization), and a UCard.
Attendance at the Scholar Orientation is mandatory and required by the U.S. Department of State. If you have not done so already, schedule your J-1 Scholar Orientation.
Currently, ISSS’ Scholar Orientation is completely online through Zoom. There is no need to visit ISSS in person. All J-1 Scholars who are new to the U.S.* must attend an orientation within 30 days of arrival to the U.S.
You will receive a Zoom link for Scholar Orientation within 24 hours of its start. Contact us if you need to change your orientation date.
*Note: J-1 Scholars who are transferring their record from another institution to UMass, do not need to attend the scholar orientation as you have done so at your prior institution, but you must complete the J-1 Arrival Form.