Visas

What is a DS-2019 form?

The DS-2019 form is your visa form (Certificate of Eligibility). The DS-2019 form contains your programme start and end dates, employer's address, and your personal biographical data. This form must be taken to the Embassy on the day of your appointment. Failure to do so will lead to you being turned away from your appointment and therefore delay in your visa application process and could possibly lead to you losing your placement. Please very carefully read the visa instructions for the correct procedure. After your visa interview this form will be returned to you placed in your passport (or in a sealed envelope). You must keep these two forms together. If you try to enter the U.S. without your DS-2019 form, you may be refused entry! If you lose this form prior to your flight to the U.S. or do not receive it back from the embassy, contact Camp America immediately..

I Lost my DS-2019 on the day of my flight!
Should I fly?

Yes! While the Port of Entry does have the right to refuse your entrance, most likely you will be given temporary entrance to the U.S. and given instructions to send documents to Washington, D.C. to activate your J-1 visa. Contact Camp America if this happens or you have any questions about your DS-2019 form.

How long can I stay?

You are permitted to remain in the US for the full duration of your camp placement, plus an additional 30 days - which is known as the Grace Period. Section 3 of your DS-2019 (Certificate of Eligibility) will normally show the end date of your programme agreement with Camp America, and 30 days after the end date is the date by which you MUST depart the United States. If your placement end date changes or is extended whilst at camp then your Grace period will begin on the newly agreed end date.  

Example: Start Date: 3rd June - End Date: 17th August - Including the 30 days Grace Period, the date by which you must depart the US is no later than 16th September.

If you arrive on a different date than listed on your DS-2019 then please refer to your white I-94 card, which you fill in on the aircraft and is then stamped and enclosed with your passport by the Immigraton officials. On the arrival date listed, you can be in the United States up to the end date as listed on this card.

Note: The I-94 is generally a fixed indicator of exactly when you are required to leave the US. The J-1 visa allows you to apply for entry as an Exchange Visitor and it's at the discretion of the immigration official as to how long you may enter and stay for. Giving that this is an individual decision, some applicants have been known to be stamped in for longer than originally quoted and if this the case with you - should you be in any doubt as to your validity of stay you should contact the www.uscis.gov for further information.

The following rules apply to the grace period:

• You are not allowed to work
• If you travel outside of the US then you may not be able to re-enter on your J-1 visa; even if you have just gone over the border to Mexico or Canada.
• The grace period must be taken AFTER completion of your programme, not before.

* IMPORTANT: If you are a student, Government regulations require that you must return to your home country in time for the start of school/university.

Travel outside the U.S.

 Travel outside of the U.S. during the Grace Period is not recommended as the visa regulations state that applicants may not leave the U.S. for an adjacent territory and attempt to re-enter. There have been instances in the past where individuals have been permitted to do so – but this is always at the discretion of the immigration official. There have been examples of individuals who have departed into Canada or Mexico and then been permitted to re-enter the US under the Visa Waiver Programme (if qualified) – but the US Embassy in London advise that this is unlikely to be the case.

If an applicant wishes to travel outside of the U.S. then we strongly suggest that they be in possession of a valid B-1 tourist visa, which they may be able to obtain at the same time as applying for the J-1 visa. Please contact your local office for more information on this.

Note: If you travel outside the U.S. during your grace period and are not allowed to re-enter the U.S. you will forfeit your free return flight with us if applicable. We cannot reimburse you for any unused portion of your flight or for any alternate travel arrangements that you may have purchased. If you place yourself in this situation, it is your responsibility to make your own travel arrangements home. Please also note that your Camp America insurance does not cover travel outside the U.S. and Canada. The only exception is travel to Mexico, where coverage is limited to a trip of no more than 48 hours.
  
Mexico
Mexican Consulate 27 E 39th Street
New York,
NY 10016 (212) 217-6400
http://www.consulmexny.org/eng/english.htm visas@consulmexny.org

Canada
Canadian Consulate
1251 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10020
(212) 596-1628
http://geo.international.gc.ca/can-am/new_york/

What are my responsibilities under SEVIS for maintaining valid visa status?

It is your responsibility not to work during your grace period. Also, SEVIS needs to have your most up-to-date information, so it is your responsibility to notify us immediately of any changes to:

a) If you never arrive at your destination
b) If you are fired or leave your position for any reason
c) If your biographical data changes or is incorrect
d) If you have overstayed your VISA (more than 30 days past end date)
e) If your current U.S. address changes

* Failure to comply with the above responsibilities will result in the termination of your visa!

Validation

SEVIS requires that we confirm your arrival within 30 days of the start date on the DS-2019 form. In order for us to validate you, your director must confirm with us that you have arrived. It is your responsibility to ensure that this validation process is complete. If your arrival is not validated within 30 days of your start date, WE ARE OBLIGATED TO TERMINATE YOUR VISA!

WHAT ARE THE CONSEQUENCES OF ABUSING MY J-1 VISA?
If you violate the terms of the J-1 Culture Exchange visa by abandoning the programme, by leaving your placement before the end of your assignment, or by remaining in the United States illegally after the expiration of your visa term:

1. We are obligated to report you to the appropriate United States authorities, which will jeopardise any further eligibility for other American visas or change of visa status. This will remain on record permanently and you may never be permitted to enter the United States again or obtain legal employment there. Please note that U.S. authorities actively track the movements of all visitors and take firm action dealing with those who abuse their visa status.
2. You will be subject to criminal sanctions and will no longer be eligible for our programme support.
3. You will adversely affect the ability of family members and friends to request U.S. visas and future travel to the United States.
4. You will lose your insurance coverage.
5. You will jeopardise the ability of other young people from your country to participate in cultural exchange programmes in the future.
6. We will notify your referees and domestic government authorities accordingly.

What if I need visa information after I arrive in the United States?
Call our Stamford Office at 1-866-222-2074

Returner Visas

Returners who applied for their J-1 visa via the US Embassy in London since 2007 and Belfast from 2008 will be able to make their initial visa application by post and so may not be required to attend a face to face interview at the Embassy this season! (the embassy will always reserve the right to call an applicant in for a face to face interview). Returners will be able to send in their application via Camp America if they meet the following criteria's:

1. Received a visa from the American Embassy in London in 2007/8/9 or Belfast in 2009
2. Your application was not held up due to criminal convictions or sent to Washington DC for further investigation
3. Has never:

• Been arrested
• Convicted of a crime (even if that crime is now "spent")
• Received a caution or reprimand for any offence.
• Stayed more than 30 days past the end of a J-visa program or overstayed any other visa
• or been told by a U.S. government official that he is ineligible for a visa