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Inviting J-1 Scholars

Before inviting a visiting scholar, the sponsoring department should be familiar with the West Virginia University Academic Visitor/Visiting Scholar guidelines. Please keep in mind that the J-1 category cannot be used for tenure track faculty positions or regular staff positions.

As of July 15, 2022, to request a J-1 exchange visitor, please submit a sponsorship request through our International Services system. For any current outstanding requests, we will continue to work with you to get these completed. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at isss-scholars@mail.wvu.edu.

To request a new J-1 exchange visitor, please login below.

Scholar Portal Login

If you cannot login, please request permission by emailing us at isss-scholars@mail.wvu.edu.

  1. Once you have permission to login, click the "Scholar Portal Login" above, then be sure to click on the gold "WVU Login" button and enter your WVU credentials.

  2. The first step is to create a "New Sponsorship Request." Click on the "New Sponsorship Request" button, complete the questionnaire and submit. Our office will review the request and determine the appropriate visa type.

    Please note that, after submission, you should upload the invitation/offer letter if available.

    1. For competitive hires, you can upload the signed offer letter from Taleo.

    2. For non-competitive hires, you may use one of our invitation letter templates, located within our International Services Portal, after the visa type has been determined following the next step.

  3. Once our office determines the appropriate visa type, you will receive an automated notification to log back in and proceed with the application.

  4. After reviewing the completed submission, our office will contact you with any questions we may have and/or ship the visa documentation directly to the J-1 exchange visitor.