J World News From Dotty's Desk
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J World News
From Dotty’s Desk
Fall 2014 – Welcome!
Welcome to all of the new J Scholars and Students. We hope that you will have a very successful and
enjoyable time at UNT as you embark on your research and studies. Please save time to enjoy
learning about the culture of UNT, Texas, and the U.S.
And we hope that our continuing Scholars and Students are making good progress with research and
studies – and of course saving some time to learn about life in America!
Many thanks to all of the faculty and staff who put in so many hours to make the J Exchange
Program a successful reality.
In this Edition
Page 1 ● Quick Refer ence Contact Guide Pages 4-5 ● Upcoming Events and Activities
Pages 2-3 ● New J Regulations J ust Announced Page 5 ● Tell us about your experiences!
Pages 3-4 ● Tr avel Announcements Page 5 ● U.S. State Department FAQs (Frequently
Asked Questions) for J-1’s
Quick Reference Information
Scholars:
Dotty Horton- dotty@unt.edu 940-565-2206
Leanne Jones as back-up. Leanne.Jones@unt.edu
940-565-2210
J Students:
Dotty Horton Dotty Horton- dotty@unt.edu, 940-565-2206
Leanne Jones- Leanne.Jones@unt.edu 940-565-2210
Arrival information, insurance & cultural events:
Kelly Hughes- Kelly.Hughes@unt.edu 940-565-2204
Leanne Jones International Student & Scholar Services (Denton):
940-565-2195 | Sycamore Hall, Room 288
InternationalAdvising@unt.edu
http://international.unt.edu/immigration
http://international.unt.edu/advising-staff
Kelly Hughes
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J World News
New J Regulations:
On October 9, 2014, the Department of State issued new J visa regulations. These include important items which
will affect you and your dependents. The regulations go into effect on January 5, 2015. The new insurance
requirements must be reported and in effect by a deadline of May 15, 2015. We will be modifying some existing
forms and developing new ones to help you to comply with the new regulations.
1. Email addresses: We must enter the email addresses for the J-1 and all J-2’s into SEVIS.
2. English requirement: There will be a more specific English requirement for scholars. Students must still meet
admission requirements. Here is how it is worded, and how the regulation says the department inviting the
scholar can prove it:
a. "sufficient proficiency in the English language, as determined by an objective measurement of English
language proficiency, successfully to participate in his or her program and to function on a day-to-day
basis." [22 CFR 62.11(a)(2)].
b. The sponsoring UNT department will be required to use one of the following methods to prove sufficient
English:
i. A recognized English language test;
ii. Signed documentation from an academic institution or English language school; or
iii. A documented interview conducted by the sponsor either in-person or by videoconferencing,
or by telephone if videoconferencing is not a viable option.
3. Dependent departure: We must report to SEVIS, which means you must report to us, if your J-2 spouse or
children leave the U.S. before you do at the end of your program.
4. Insurance: Here is the big one. Because of the changes, everyone will be submitting or resubmitting proof of
insurance to meet the requirements. We will be setting up an insurance-only email address, and will be
sending you information and details. It must be reported and in effect by the regulatory deadline of May 15,
2015. The regulation that says we must end your J program if you do not have the required insurance for you
and your dependents is still in effect.
a. The minimum requirements for the insurance are:
$100,000 per accident or illness.
$25,000 for repatriation of remains.
$50,000 for medical evacuation to the home country.
A "deductible" not to exceed $500.
b. If your insurance is not backed by your home government, in other words, if you have private insurance, the
underwriters for the insurance company must meet certain rating requirements by certain specified rating
companies. We are developing a list of qualifying companies so that you will not have to do that detective
work.
c. We will require the document to be in English with the coverage in U.S. dollars as required by regulation.
d. We will send you the details and process as soon as we can get it fully developed!
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J World News
New J Regulations, Continued:
In addition, some SEVIS changes—
You may notice some changes in the way your name is listed on the DS-2019. The Student
and Exchange Visitors Program (SEVP), and the State Department, working with SEVIS, are
making changes in the way names are entered. As the year goes by, some of you may notice
some changes. Here is what is happening:
1. Names will be listed on immigration documents the way they are listed on the machine-readable
part of your passport. If you look down at the bottom of your identity page (and also the visa page),
you will see your name amongst the
J World News
Travel, Continued:
I-94’s
The I-94 is the document which gives your I-94 number, or admission number, and shows, officially when
you entered the U.S., what visa status you have, and when you have to leave the U.S. All of you J’s
should not have specific date to leave. You should have “duration of status,” or D/S.
If you have been here several years, or you entered by land, you will have a little white I-94 card. If you
entered in the last year plus, by air or sea, you will not have this card. You should have a small stamp
near your visa with this information (if you can read it).
You can get an I-94 from their website. It is a good idea for you to access the I-94 and save it for your
records as you may need it at some point. And, you do want to check to make sure they have entered
the correct information: www.cbp.gov/i94
Activities:
The State Department expects that while you are here on their J program, you will learn about the U.S. culture.
There are so many ways for you to participate in activities to learn about Texas and the U.S. Here are just a few:
Scholar Encounter: Friday, November 14,
in 203 Sycamore Hall from 3:00 to 4:30.
Have you always wanted to meet the other J scholars at UNT? Come to an
informal gathering of scholars so you can meet each other. It is about time!
You may want to bring ideas for future events.
UNT-I Welcome Center:
The Welcome Center plans activities along with the rest of the campus.
-Global Grounds Café, 3-4:30 pm at The Forum in Willis Library.
Information and food from the spotlight country.
October 31 – Brazil
November 21 – Pakistan
February 13 – Unassigned
February 27 – Chile
March 27 – South Korea
April 17 – Unassigned
-Korean Fall Festival – November 13; 2-7 pm; Library Mall
-Japanese Fall Festival – November 18; time & location to be announced.
-World Holiday Fair – November 20; 11 am – 1 pm; Library Mall
-International Dance Party – November 20; 7 pm – 9:30 pm; Library Mall
-Denton Global Interact: American Thanksgiving dinner – November 16. Sign up in UNT Welcome
Center. Americans cook a typical Thanksgiving meal for internationals at UNT and TWU.
Page 4
J World News
Activities, Continued:
UNT Events
Fine Arts Calendar: http://studentaffairs.unt.edu/fine-arts-series
Art Gallery: http://gallery.unt.edu/
Dance and Theater: http://danceandtheatre.unt.edu/productions-ticket-purchasing
UNT College of Music: There are many performances throughout the year. Some are
even free. Check out the calendar and take advantage of this marvelous opportunity:
http://music.unt.edu/calendar/
UNT Sports
Football (American) Schedule:
http://www.meangreensports.com/sports/m-footbl/sched/ntex-m-footbl-sched.html
Men’s Basketball Schedule:
http://www.meangreensports.com/sports/m-baskbl/sched/ntex-m-baskbl-sched.html
Women’s Basketball Schedule:
http://www.meangreensports.com/sports/w-baskbl/sched/ntex-w-baskbl-sched.html
Women’s Volleyball Schedule: http://www.meangreensports.com/scoreboard/?sport=w-volley
Things to do in Denton: http://www.discoverdenton.com/calendar/
Halloween: October 31st is Halloween. If you have children, they will probably
be dressing up in costumes for parties at school or after school. The costumed
children may come to your door on Halloween night to say “trick or treat.” Hint: If
you have your porch light on, they know they can ring your doorbell. If you do not
have your light on, they will not bother you. Hopefully you will have some
wrapped candy to give them. Note – You may even see some UNT students,
faculty, and staff dressed up just for fun.
Tell us about your research and other
experiences in the U.S.:
In the spring edition of this newsletter, we would like to highlight
your research, studies, activities and experiences. Don’t be shy.
You don’t have to write a long article, just whatever you would
like to share. Email me at dotty@unt.edu.
U.S. State Department FAQs
Faculty and Staff: (Frequently Asked Questions)
We would like to hear about your experiences with the J program for J-1’s
http://j1visa.state.gov/participants/
also. Last spring was our first issue highlighting our department
common-questions/
and participants’ experiences. You can find that edition at:
http://international.unt.edu/isss-newsletters
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