Category: Visas

On January 15 OAP will release some updates to our visa request tool. Due to the updates there will be an outage from noon to 2pm when the tool, including visa request forms, will be unavailable. These updates introduce a new required J-1 amendment form and functionality for creating new and managing existing requests.

Here’s what you will notice:

• The new J-1 amendment form:
  • Will be required going forward to change program dates, biographic information, funding information, or certain other information for J-1 exchange visitors.
  • Can be created from an existing visa request, in which case most of the fields will be filled in already, or they can be created “from scratch”.
  • Does not replace the Request Family DS-2019 form and cannot be used to add J-2 dependents at this time.
• A new launch page that allows administrators to easily find existing visa requests and create new requests.
• The ability to manage visa request files from the submitted J visa requests and submitted H visa requests pages.
  • Instead of emailing files through ISO’s ticketing system (RT), department administrators will be able to upload files by browsing to a list of visa requests and selecting Actions -> Manage files.
  • ISO will also be able to send files to department administrators through the visa request tool. Whenever a file is added, department administrators will receive an automated update.
  • Note: Files sent to or from ISO by email will not appear; only files uploaded via the visa request tool will be visible.
• “Copy to new” functionality for J-1 and H-1B visa requests from the submitted J visa requests and submitted H visa requests pages:
  • Administrators will be able to select an existing visa request and use Actions -> Copy to New to create a new visa request from that existing request. This can be used to facilitate extension requests.
• School/college/campus (S/C/C) level access can be granted for designated administrators to see all visa requests for that S/C/C. Access can be requested by contacting acadvisa@uw.edu.

The above improvements have been made based on unit feedback; we appreciate any additional comments on this tool!

2021-01-15: The updates are live; form links have been added.

A federal court has issued an order preventing the implementation of the new USCIS fee schedule that was to go into effect on October 2. Because this situation is subject to sudden change, ISO advisors will reach out with individual guidance in any cases close to filing with USCIS and update this blog post as needed. Thank you for your understanding.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) has announced new filing fees to go into effect on Friday, October 2, 2020. The most significant change is that the new fee structure will require different filing fees for Form I-129 based on the visa status sought (e.g., H-1B, TN, E-3, or O-1); see the chart below for more details.
There is no change to the H-1B Fraud Prevention Fee of $500 or the Premium Processing Fee of $1,440, but the way that the premium processing period is calculated will change from 15 calendar days to 15 business days.

ISO checklists and web pages will be updated with the new fees. If you have questions about which fee applies for a specific visa request, please contact ISO.

The Office of Academic Personnel (OAP), in collaboration with the Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP), is pleased to announce some important changes to the H and J Visa Request Forms. Most importantly, the H Visa Request Form will be moved to a new tool at 5pm on Friday, July 31, in the same way the J Visa Request Form was updated on June 1. The H and J Intake Forms will be updated accordingly.

As part of this update, units will no longer need to create separate Deemed Export Compliance Attestations (DECAs); instead, DECA information from the new H Visa Request Form will be sent directly to OSP for immediate review. To facilitate this process, OAP has added several fields to the H Visa Intake and Visa Request Forms: purpose of stay, faculty supervisor, and grants/contracts being used for funding. If additional information is needed, you will be contacted by OSP. 

OAP is also adding “save as draft” functionality to both the J and the H Visa Request Forms. “Save as draft” will save everything except attachments; drafts will be saved for 90 days.

Here are a few other highlights:

• Standardized country list: Country of birth, countries of citizenship, and country of residence will now all be required and will be selectable from a list of countries recognized by the U.S. government. This will reduce back-and-forth needed with the ISO team.
• The display of “print views” used for conditional approvals will be more legible
• The J Visa Request Form will now allow export compliance review by OSP.

Please feel free to contact ISO with any questions or feedback you have about the new forms.