The order of this process is very important. No immigration work can be done without first obtaining an official offer letter.
Immigration Process
The prospective EV will complete the J-1 Visa Eligibility Questionnaire.
Immigration document processing cannot begin without the receipt of a signed appointment letter from the academic unit in consultation with ISSS-EVP.
After signing the offer letter, submit the Exchange Visitor Questionnaire & Attestation form online. Additionally, you will need to provide proof of funding.
Proof of funding: You must provide USC evidence of adequate financial support for your stay in the U.S. Certification may come from a scholarship or fellowship, personal savings, a salary from USC, other verified funding, or a combination thereof. If you will be paid by USC, the salary will count towards the total certification amount.
The supervisor submits the USC Exchange Visitor Program Supervisor Agreement form.
Academic unit sends $100 SEVIS Maintenance Fee to ISSS.
Only scholars in the "Student Intern" category are required complete Form DS-7002 with ISSS and their faculty supervisor. Scholars complete Sections 1 & 3, supervisors complete Section 4, including Phase Information.
After all documents and forms are collected, Form DS-2019 can be issued. ISSS will email the document, which is used to obtain the J-1 visa. Once a scholar has receipt of the SEVIS number, a visa interview appointment can be scheduled with the U.S. consulate.
Check the Department of State for visa appointment wait times.
Pay the I-901 SEVIS fee then prepare and submit form DS-160 (Nonimmigrant Visa/NIV application), to schedule the J-1 visa interview. You will use the information on the DS-2019 for this.
Provide immigration documents for SEVIS verification. An active SEVIS status allows HR to set up payroll, USC ID and email, and more. You will receive emails about activation of USC systems.
Review orientation information.