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The Office for Academic Personnel and Faculty (APF) and UW Human Resources (UWHR) are collaborating on visa sponsorship for staff positions. For more information, click here. |
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
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…
Updates on J-1 student visa terminations
April 1, 2025
This communication was sent to all UW-sponsored, active J-1 scholars on April 1, 2025. Dear J-1 scholars, We are aware of reports from other institutions that some F-1 and J-1 student visas have been canceled by the U.S. government and F-1 and J-1 immigration records are being terminated in the Student and Exchange Visitor Information…
Visa Fee Updates Effective January 1, 2025
December 9, 2024
Effective January 1, 2025, the following visa-related fee changes will apply: Visa request fees for J-1s, H-1Bs, TNs, and E-3s will increase to $580 (from $562). Amendment fees for J-1 documents (DS-2019s) will increase to $107 (from $105). O-1 and EB-1B hourly visa case management fees will decrease to $117 (from $140). Visa requests that…