Overview
The University of Washington hosts hundreds of faculty and other academic personnel from around the world each year. These individuals are collectively referred to as “international scholars.”
International scholars engage in a variety of teaching and research activities but are not enrolled as students at the UW or abroad. They hold a UW appointment and generally require a temporary, non-immigrant visa to enter the U.S.
International Scholars Operations (ISO) processes requests for visa sponsorship, provides training and guidance to UW academic units, and supports international scholars in compliance with their visas.
For questions about visas, including relevant academic appointments, contact the ISO team.
Campus departments that sponsor international scholars for visas undertake several obligations. These include, but are not limited to:
- Assigning the international scholar a UW appointment title that is appropriate for the intended activity
- Documenting that the scholar is fully qualified to participate in the proposed activity
- Completing visa sponsorship paperwork (UW J and UW H Visa Request Forms)
- Advising the scholar, before and after arrival in Seattle, of the services and facilities (e.g., housing, insurance, office or lab space) available
- Emailing acadvisa@uw.edu in advance of changes in the scholar’s start or end date, financial support, appointment title, percent of FTE, worksite location and the like
Visa-related news and announcements
Department of State "pause" on F-1, M-1, and J-1 visa appointment availability
May 30, 2025
The following message was sent by email to all active and incoming J-1 exchange visitors sponsored by ISO on May 30, 2025: News outlets have reported that the U.S. Department of State has temporarily paused visa appointment availability for F-1, M-1, and J-1 visa applications at U.S. consulates abroad. Because there have been no official…
Immigration Registration Requirement Effective April 11, 2025
May 8, 2025
On January 20, 2025, President Donald Trump issued Executive Order 14159, which implements a registration requirement for certain foreign nationals inside the United States. The changes in this Executive Order went into effect on April 11, 2025. What does the executive order do? Executive Order 14159 requires that nonimmigrants aged 14 years or older who…
J-1 Minimum Funding Change effective July 1, 2025
April 18, 2025
The University of Washington is deeply committed to supporting international scholars in building successful, fulfilling experiences while at the UW. As part of that commitment, International Scholars Operations (ISO) is updating the minimum funding requirement for J-1 exchange visitors to better reflect the cost of living in Seattle.This update reflects a long-term effort to align…