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
New Rule Ending “Duration of Status” for J-1 Exchange Visitors
July 16, 2026
Posted 08/07/2026 International Scholars Operations has finalized and posted slide decks for the following information sessions: 07/31/2026 Information Session for J-1 Scholars 08/03/2026 Information Session for Unit Administrators Additional web materials, including more information on Form I-539 and an FAQ for scholars, are forthcoming. Posted 07/24/2026 International Scholars Operations has completed its initial analysis and…
Changes to UW requirements for national competitive recruitments
June 2, 2026
Historically, the UW has required that online ads for competitive recruitments for faculty run in the Chronicle of Higher Education. Effective June 2, 2026, UW is expanding the group of acceptable online recruitment venues as follows. Online ads may now run in: The Chronicle of Higher Education Other higher-ed recruitment sites, e.g. Higher Ed Jobs…
USCIS Announces Changes to Standard for Adjustment of Status
May 22, 2026
On May 22, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that it would start approving I-485 Applications to Adjust Status (the “green card” or “permanent residence” application) only in “extraordinary circumstances.” This policy could affect any University of Washington student or employee who has applied or will apply for permanent residence inside the U.S.; however,…