Pre-Arrival Details
Congratulations on taking the first steps towards becoming an international teacher in the USA. Intalage and its staff are here to help you transition seamlessly into your new role.
Upon receiving the DS-2019 Form, please read it carefully. Immediately inform RO or ARO of any errors in name, date of birth, place of birth.
Form DS-2019 certifies your acceptance to Intalage Exchange Visitor Program P-4-10293. Your stay in the U.S. is subject to the conditions stated on the back of Form DS-2019. It is very important that you read and understand these conditions. To acknowledge your acceptance of these conditions, please sign the Exchange Visitor Certification at the bottom of your Form DS-2019, including the place (city) in which you were located when you signed the form and the date you signed it.
Each member of your family must have their own Form DS-2019 to enter the U.S. in J-2 status. Only a spouse to whom you are legally married and your children under the age of 21 may enter the U.S. as your J-2 dependents.
Sign and make a copy of the DS-2019.
Complete the visa application Form DS-160.
Schedule a visa interview appointment.
Pay the visa application fee. Country-specific details are available here.
Prior to your visa appointment, pay the SEVIS fee online. (This fee is in addition to the visa application fee.) Our program number is P-4-10293.
Please complete an application at www.foreigntranscripts.com or Spantran.
Once you confirm your travel reservation, please email a copy of your itinerary; and please call the office immediately upon arrival at your final destination. Even if your arrival is past the normal working hours, please call. This will help us coordinate your transfer from the airport to your temporary accommodation or apartment for permanent stay.
The pick up from the airport is complimentary - either an Intalage staff member or a current Intalage teacher from your home country who will also be your mentor will meet you at the airport.
Intalage shortlists housing options and in some instances reserves an apartment for you to move in upon arrival. If there is delay in availability; temporary accommodation is provided.
Congratulations again and welcome to the Intalage family.
Post-Arrival Details
Welcome to the USA! Intalage and its staff are excited to have you.
Details on your next steps:
Call the Intalage office to inform them of your arrival to the United States.
Provide Intalage with two legible copies of:
DS-2019
Visa Page
I-94 front and back
Passport Biographic page
Apply for a Social Security Number a day after your arrival.
Please provide Intalage with your current address and telephone number.
Complete the New Employee Forms on Frontline Central. They will be emailed to you.
Please update your address within ten days of change of address, otherwise your program will be terminated.
Dependents
We encourage all our participants to initially travel alone. Please note that you will have to dedicate a lot of time to learn the teacher requirements of your host school district, rapid adaptability to the culture, understand the laws and regulations. An optimum time is three months before you can request the DS-2019 for your dependents, ideally we prefer to review your first professional evaluation. After a satisfactory evaluation we will ask you to complete and mail the Dependent Information Form to Intalage. The fees listed on the form are subject to change.
Please inform the office immediately after your dependents arrive in the USA.
Your dependents will be added to the health insurance plan.
Also, to obtain the Employment Authorization Document (work permit) for your spouse, please follow the steps outlined below:
J-2 work permits are obtained from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) through an application process that takes up to 10 months. Employment may not begin until the J-2 has received the work permit, which is called the Employment Authorization Document (EAD).
The EAD allows the J-2 dependent to work in any job, full-time or part-time. The employment cannot extend beyond the end date on the EAD. Extensions of the EAD are possible, up to the end date on the DS-2019. Please note that the extension process also takes an average of 3 months, so plan ahead if employment needs to be continuous (without any gaps between work authorization periods).
Application Process
To apply for an EAD, mail the items listed below to USCIS (address below). Photocopy the application packet for record keeping.
USCIS Fee: $520 for paper filing or $470 for online filing
The fee must be the correct amount or the application will be returned. Check or money orders must be made payable to “U.S. Department of Homeland Security.” A name and address must be printed on the check; temporary checks are not allowed.
I-765 Form
Print this form from the USCIS web site. Complete the form and don’t forget to sign at the bottom (with blue ink). The signature must stay between the lines.
On item #9, leave blank if J-2 does not have a Social Security Number.
On item #16, write in the code, "(C)(5)( )".
DS-2019s
Photocopies (not original) of both the J-1 and J-2 DS-2019 forms.
I-94 (J-2)
Photocopy. The electronic I-94 record can be found at i94.cbp.dhs.gov.
Passport photos (2)
See instructions on the U.S. Department of State web site. Lightly print your name and I-94 number on the back of each photo in case they get separated from the application.
J-2 Work Permission Letter
(see example)
Financial Documentation
Photocopy of funding documentation used to obtain the J-2 visa.
J-2 Biographical Data
Photocopy of biographical page in the J-2’s passport.
Proof of Marriage
Photocopy of marriage certificate, with certified translation if not in English.
Extension/ Renewal of a Work
For an extension/renewal of a work permit (average processing time of 3 months), include all of the above items and a photocopy of previous EAD card(s). Please note that a renewal application cannot be filed more than 120 days before the current EAD expires.
Mailing the Application to the USCIS
Send the application to the appropriate address, depending on the type of mail service you use - USPS Priority Mail (Recommended) or Express Mail (Federal Express, UPS, etc.)
If you live in the following states (Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, U.S. Virgin Islands, or West Virginia) send your paper application to:
USPS Priority Mail (Recommended)
USCIS
PO Box 660867
Dallas, TX 75266
or
Express Mail (Federal Express, UPS, etc.)
USCIS Attn: AOS
2501 S. Slate Hwy. 121
Business Suite 400
Lewisville, TX 75067
If you live in the following states (Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, Wisconsin, Wyoming, Guam, or the Northern Mariana Islands) send your completed paper application with supporting documents to:
USPS Priority Mail (Recommended)
USCIS
PO Box 21281
Phoenix, AZ 85036
or
Express Mail (Federal Express, UPS, etc.)
USCIS Attn: AOS
1820 E.Skyharbor Circle
S Suite 100
Phoenix, AZ 85034
E-Notification
To receive an e-mail and/or a text message that the application has been accepted at USCIS, complete Form G-1145, E-Notification of Application/Petition Acceptance and attach it to the top of the application.
I-797 Receipt "Notice of Action"
Within 2-6 weeks of submitting the application to USCIS, a I-797 Receipt Notice should arrive via mail. Use the receipt number (beginning with “WAC” if you are applying through the California Service Center) to check the status of the application (case) online. To check the status of the case, please visit the USCIS Case State Service Online.