International Students and Scholars Services

B-1/B-2 visas holders are eligible to temporarily enter the U.S. for the purpose of business, tourism, pleasure or visiting.

Two Year Home Residency RequirementGENERAL INFORMATIONThis information is designed for J-1 students, trainees and scholars (professors, researchers, specialists and short term scholars) visiting the University of Maryland, College Park. It explains the two-year home-country residence requirement affecting some Exchange Visitors and their J-2 dependents. This is general information. Please see an advisor in ISSS (1126 H.J. Patterson Hall) to discuss your particular situation.

As we prepare for a possible federal government shutdown on Sunday, October 1, please review the information in this email to better understand the impact of a government shutdown on immigration processes for our departments, international students, faculty and scholars.  Below are the impacts of a possible federal government shutdown by government agency:

Welcome Back Academic Colleagues,Happy New Year! It’s good to be back on campus from our winter break. ISSS is pleased to welcome two new Program Specialists to our ISSS Faculty/Scholar Advising Team, Ash Reynolds and Elizabeth Floyd. The addition of these positions to our team will add resources for processing immigration requests and reduce response time for your questions.  

English Speaking Countries – No TOEFL or IELTS Required  

International Student & Scholar Services (ISSS) assists international faculty and scholars who will be conducting research or teaching at the University of Maryland, College Park with the process of applying for a visa.

ISSS is responsible to work with campus departments to invite exchange visitors to the University of Maryland. Our office is authorized to issue the Form DS-2019, the document used to obtain the J-1 visa.

Dependent Study in the U.S.F-2 dependents:are permitted to enroll in less than a full course of study (must be part-time). only children attending K-12 may attend full time.J-2 dependents:can be admitted as a full-time student. can apply for employment authorization.may not remain in the U.S. if the J-1 student is absent from the U.S., unless the temporary absence is less than 5 monthsH-4 dependents:

Travel and Re-entryF-2/J-2 dependents are not required to travel with the primary F-1. However, the F-2 dependent must carry the following documents required for re-entry to the US: