Visa Application Process

Please find instructions and links to relevant forms regarding the visa application process below. Please read through these sections before emailing about visiting students or faculty. The following visa application processes are required for “long-term” visitors.

For extension and transfer requests, for visitors, please email the HR Manager at .

On this page

• Postdocs & Faculty visas
• Student visas

Postdocs & Faculty Visas – Initial Requests

Be aware that the UW requires a minimum of 3 months processing time from the submission date. Please make sure your start date can reasonably accommodate this.

Please email the following documents to Alicia Campese (), cc’ing Scott Dakins () after completing the offer, invitation, or reappointment letter.

• Completed J-1 Visa Intake Form
• The offer, invitation, or reappointment letter describing the terms of the appointment
• An updated Curriculum Vitae (CV)
• Evidence that the scholar meets the J-1 funding requirements
• A copy of the biographic page of the scholar’s passport
• Copies of biographic pages for all dependents coming to the US in J-2 status, if any
• Evidence that the scholar has adequate fluency in English. If relying on an interview, please see the below suggestions:
  • Please indicate what factors were used to determine the visiting scholar’s English proficiency. Were they able to understand spoken English easily/with some difficulty/not at all? Were they able to use complex sentence structures? Did they make many/some/few/no grammatical errors?
  • There is a regulatory requirement that there be a statement that the scholar is proficient enough in English to participate successfully in the exchange program and to function on a day-to-day basis in the U.S. The interview statement implies this, but it doesn’t actually state that.
  • You may want to elaborate on your observations during the interview, as well as confirm that the visiting scholar is “proficient enough in English to participate successfully in the exchange program and to function on a day-to-day basis in the U.S.”

All documentation should be legible, single-sided photocopies of original documents on 8.5″ x 11″ paper.

See here for a list of required documentation for change of unit, extension, or transfer requests.

Student Visas

The UW VISIT Program now requires a minimum of 12 weeks for processing VISIT applications (this includes the visa) from the time of submission. Please make sure your start date can reasonably accommodate this.

Please email the following documents to Alicia Campese (), cc’ing Scott Dakins ().

For the VISIT J-VISA Request Form:

• Applicant: Please work with your sponsor to complete the intern fields (Parts C-G, and I-J). Note that your home institution supervisor will need to sign off on your internship as well (Part F). Please pay close attention to funding requirements. You will be required to submit a bank statement demonstrating parental support of funds with corresponding.
• Faculty Sponsor: Please review form and relevant internship fields (Part A-B, H and K).

For the DS-7002 Form:

• Applicant: Please complete the required sections (Sections 1 and 3).
• Faculty Sponsor: Please review the form and complete the required sections (Sections 2, 3 and 4).

For the J-1 Visa Application, we will need the following from the applicant:

• Copy of biographical page of passport
• Financial support documentation either in the forms of bank statements and/or sponsorship letters on official letterhead. All monies must be presented in US dollars (USD) or accompanied by documentation displaying current exchange rates. All non-English original documentation must be accompanied by English translations.
• Official score report from TOEFL iBT (minimum score is 76) or IELTS (minimum score is 6.0) or Duolingo (minimum score is 105).
• Updated CV