The DS-2019 is the “certificate of eligibility” for J-1 status. All Exchange Visitors must have this document in order to receive a J-1 visa and enter the U.S. J-1 Exchange Visitors are issued DS-2019s by the Office of International Services at the sponsoring academic department’s request. It is important that the correct J-1 category is selected for the appointment and that minimum funding requirements are met.

Selecting a J-1 Category

USC hosts foreign nationals in several different J-1 Exchange Visitor categories. It is important for the Academic Department to select the appropriate J-1 category based on the visitors USC objective. To determine the appropriate category, various factors including duration of stay, objective and highest degree earned will be examined.  This page is an overview of each J-1 category used at USC.

Funding for J-1 Exchange Visitors

J-1s may receive funding from multiple sources, including USC, the visitor’s home government, the visitor’s home university, personal sources, and private organizations. Please review this page for more information about funding requirements for J-1 Exchange Visitors and their dependents.

Obtaining a USC Net ID for Trojan International Access

Prior to DS-2019 submission, the department administrator must obtain a USC Net ID for their applicant to gain access to the Trojan International portal. This allows the exchange visitor to complete their portion of the application.

DS-2019 Application

The following page is a review of the application requirements to obtain a DS-2019 from USC. This page also includes information specific to Exchange Visitors already in the U.S. that would like to transfer their SEVIS record to USC.

Correction Requests & Cancelations

If an exchange visitor plans to arrive late or cancel their appointment, this must be communicated and reported to the Department of State through the SEVIS database. Please visit this page to learn more about reporting responsibilities for scholars and department administrators.