Exchange Visitor Services (EVS) works closely with academic units throughout the University of Florida to fulfill the requirements of the J-1 Exchange Visitor Program. EVS ensures exchange visitors are able to successfully complete their program objectives, comply with immigration regulations, and have opportunities to engage in cultural and educational exchange.

All exchange visitors must be sponsored and hosted by an applicable university department. The invitation process must be initiated by the UF host department, and involves a faculty sponsor and a departmental contact. The departmental contact is an administrator, often part of the host department’s human resources (HR) team.

Departmental contacts are responsible for submitting the official Form DS-2019 request, and must follow the steps indicated below and in the online portal to complete the process.

UF Faculty: If you are interested in inviting a J-1 exchange visitor, please speak to your department’s HR representative, as they are the primary point of contact with EVS

Form DS-2019 Request Process

Initial applications for potential exchange visitors must be submitted a minimum of 45 days prior to the intended program start date. EVS highly recommends submitting requests 60 days in advance. Please note that these minimums do not include RISC processing time.

  • Instructions for submitting reviews to RISC can be found in bold on this page of the RISC website.
  • FAQs for UF RISC international visitors can be found here.

NOTE: For exchange visitors with Canadian citizenship, requests must be submitted at a minimum of 30 days prior to the intended program start date. This is because Canadian citizens are not required to apply for J-1 visas. However, Canadian citizens are still required to apply for DS-2019s, and the DS-2019 application process is the same for Canadian citizens as for all other exchange visitors.

For applications with extenuating circumstances, contact EVS Director Luis Johnson.

Before a departmental contact initiates a DS-2019 Request, the UF host department must complete the following:

Tasks Notes
Assign the exchange visitor a UFID.  
Create the UF affiliation for the exchange visitor. The affiliation information must include the exchange visitor’s gender.
Assist the exchange visitor with creating their GatorLink account. The GatorLink account must be active for at least 72 hours before the DS-2019 Request can be submitted in the system.

Once the departmental contact initiates a DS-2019 Request, both the departmental contact and exchange visitor must submit all required forms and documents in the online portal.

EVS cannot issue a Form DS-2019 until this step is complete. For a list of required documents, please click here.

To initiate the DS-2019 Request, click the appropriate button and follow the instructions below:

DS-2019 Request for a New J-1 Professor, Research Scholar, or Short-Term Scholar

 

DS-2019 Request for a New J-1 Student Intern

  • Select "I have a GatorLink username and password" and log in using your GatorLink account.
  • Use the UFID field to search for the exchange visitor whose Form DS-2019 you are requesting.
    • Do NOT use the exchange visitor’s email to create a new user.
  • Click “Register” next to the exchange visitor’s information.
  • Complete the form and upload the required documents.
    • To ensure that all EVS correspondence reaches the exchange visitor before their arrival, please add the visitor’s personal email as the CC email.
  • Click the "Update" button located at the bottom of the page. 

Click here for a detailed visual guide of these instructions.

Once the DS-2019 Request is initiated, confirmation emails will be sent automatically to the UF host department and the exchange visitor. The exchange visitor’s email will also include instructions on how to complete and submit their portion of the DS-2019 Request.

Processing Information

EVS will review the DS-2019 Request after both the UF host department and exchange visitor submit their portions. If all required forms and documents are correct and complete, EVS will process the Form DS-2019, and Form DS-7002 (required for Student Interns only), within the below timeframes.

J-1 Request Type

Processing Time

Professor/Research Scholar/ Short-Term Scholar

7 business days

Student Intern

9 business days

*Incomplete or incorrect submissions will delay processing time.

Issuing Documents

Professor/Research Scholar/Short-Term Scholar: EVS will email the exchange visitor when their Form DS-2019 is complete and ready to be downloaded. This email will include instructions about how to download, print, and sign Form DS-2019, as well as next steps in the visa application process.

Student Intern: Federal regulations require the Form DS-7002 (Training/Internship Placement Plan) to be signed by the ARO (EVS advisor), UF faculty sponsor, and J-1 Student Intern before a Form DS-2019 is issued.

EVS will email the Form DS-7002 to the departmental contact to obtain the UF faculty sponsor’s signature. The departmental contact must then obtain the signatures and email the completed Form DS-7002 back to the EVS advisor.

EVS will email the exchange visitor when their Form DS-2019 is complete and ready to be downloaded. This email will include instructions about how to download, print, and sign Form DS-2019, as well as next steps in the visa application process.

Next Steps

Once the exchange visitor receives access to Form DS-2019, they may schedule a visa appointment with a U.S. Embassy or Consulate. For more information on the visa process, click here.