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 resumes F-1, M-1, and J-1 visa scheduling, with expanded social media screening
June 30, 2025
As of June 18, the Department of State has announced that it will resume appointment scheduling for student visas, including J-1 exchange visitor visas, and that these visa applicants will now undergo expanded social media screening. Please see the announcement for more details. It has also been reported that these changes will result in initial…
Recently-announced U.S. entry ban
June 6, 2025
On June 4, 2025, an Executive Order was issued that bans entry by nationals of certain countries into the United States. This entry ban goes into effect on Monday, June 9, 2025. Anyone who is inside the U.S. or has a valid U.S. visa stamp as of the date of the proclamation should not be…
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…