Category: Visas

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 communications from the Department of State regarding this pause, we do not know its exact scope or when it will end. However, it seems likely that it will affect visa availability and processing times for any J-1 exchange visitor who:

1. is currently outside the U.S.,
2. needs a new J-1 visa stamp to enter or reenter the U.S., and
3. has not already scheduled an interview at a U.S. consulate abroad.

ISO is therefore making the following recommendations for J-1 exchange visitors sponsored through ISO:

1. If you have recently scheduled a visa interview at a U.S. consulate, you may want to contact the consulate to confirm that your interview is still scheduled.
2. If you are in the process of applying for a J visa stamp but have not yet scheduled your interview, you will be unable to do so until this pause has ended; however, you should continue to check regularly for available appointments, since we don’t know how long the pause will last. 
3. If you already have a valid, unexpired J visa stamp, you are free to travel internationally as long as you return to the U.S. before that visa stamp expires.
4. If you are in the U.S. and do not have a valid, unexpired J visa stamp, you should not travel internationally unless your planned travel would be eligible for Automatic Visa Revalidation. 

We hope to be in touch with more information soon. 

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 were not registered and fingerprinted when applying for a U.S. visa and who remain in the United States for 30 days or longer, must apply for registration and fingerprinting. Similarly, parents and legal guardians of dependents below the age of 14 must ensure that those dependents are registered. Within 30 days of reaching their 14th birthday, all previously registered nonimmigrants in the U.S. must re-register and be fingerprinted.

Do I need to register?

If you are in the U.S. on a UW-sponsored visa type through ISO, you are probably already registered. The only group that may have to register are foreign nationals who last received a U.S. visa stamp and/or entered the U.S. before their 14th birthday, in which case they would have to register within 30 days of turning 14. USCIS has an Alien Registration Requirement Determination Tool that you can use to confirm whether you or your dependents need to register.

Who can I ask for more information on the registration requirement?

ISO can’t advise on this requirement, since it relates to your individual immigration compliance in the U.S. We recommend you review the USCIS website and consult a private immigration attorney if you have further questions.

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 funding expectations with actual living expenses and help international scholars plan for a successful start at the UW.

Effective July 1, 2025, ISO will raise the minimum required funding for J-1 exchange visitors from $2100 to $2500 per month. ISO last changed this requirement in 2017; since then, federal data shows a 35% increase in consumer good prices and other significant cost-of-living changes for the greater Seattle area. ISO believes that this new funding floor better reflects the current costs of living in Seattle, and will support incoming J-1 scholars who do not receive UW salary in communicating to their funding sources how much money they actually need to live and thrive in the United States. ISO does not expect to revisit this funding floor for several years.

ISO will apply this new minimum to any J visa request submitted on or after July 1st, 2025. The minimum monthly funding required for J-2 dependents will not change. See our J-1 funding page for more information, and contact us at acadvisa@uw.edu with any questions.