OIS must receive a printout of the I-94 Arrival/Departure record with each J-1 Scholar Permanent Record Form in order for the J-1 Check-in to be complete.
Upon entry to the U.S. the Port of Entry official should hand write the letters “J-1 D/S” on the date of entry stamp in your passport. J-1 D/S indicates that the J-1 student has been admitted for “Duration of Status.” In other words, it allows USC to extend the student’s legal status in the U.S. through the DS-2019.
If a date is handwritten on the Entry Stamp on your passport, this means the Exchange Visitor did not have proper documentation when entering the U.S. and was only admitted for a limited amount of time, usually 30 days. They should have been given a form, I-515A, and referred to the program sponsor (OIS). Exchange Visitors in this situation should schedule an appointment with a J-1 advisor to have the problem resolved as soon as possible.