Departing the U.S. and Ending J-1 Program
Please keep the following in mind when planning your departure from U-M:
- If you decide to leave your J-1 program before the current end date of your DS-2019, you must notify the IC in writing. Please log in to the M-Passport portal, click on Requests > Notice of Early Departure, and submit the request to the IC prior to your departure.
- J-1 scholars are given a 30-day grace period at the end of the program. This means that you have until 30 days after your program end date to depart the U.S.
Many scholars choose to spend the 30-day grace period sightseeing around the U.S. prior to returning to their home countries. If you choose to do this, please remember that once you cross the border into another country, your J-1 grace period is over and it is no longer possible to re-enter the U.S. with your J-1 visa.
For example, many North American sightseeing trips include a visit to Canada. If your travel plans during the 30-day grace period include a visit to Canada and then a re-entry to the U.S. before returning home, you must plan to re-enter in tourist visa status, not J-1 visa status. Depending on your country of citizenship, you may be required to have a B1/B2 visa stamp in your passport in order to re-enter in tourist visa status. Citizens of countries that participate in the Visa Waiver Program do not need a visa stamp in order to re-enter the U.S. in tourist visa status.
Transferring to Another Institution/J-1 Sponsor
You may be eligible for a SEVIS record transfer if you have not reached the maximum duration of your J category and the new institution is a designated J-1 sponsor.
To request a transfer, you should submit the Transfer-Out request following the instructions on the M-Passport portal. On your transfer release date, your SEVIS database record will be moved from the University of Michigan sponsorship to your new institution. After that, your new institution will be able to prepare an updated, “transfer” DS-2019 reflecting your new sponsorship. Once your SEVIS record has been transferred, you will no longer be affiliated with our institution from an immigration perspective, so you should no longer work here unless given authorization from your new sponsor.
Due to the change of your J-1 sponsorship, you will be required to obtain a new J-1 visa when you travel internationally.