International Visitors
Visa Guidelines for Temporary Visitors to the United States
If are you a citizen of a country listed in the table below no formal visa application is required of you. You are eligible to visit the United States on the Visa Waiver Program.
Citizens from all other countries may need to apply for the Exchange Visitor (J1) visa. Please contact ICPSR Summer Program staff member Gwen Tessier for further information: lgt@umich.edu
| Countries included in the Visa Waiver Program | ||
|---|---|---|
| Andorra | Hungary | New Zealand |
| Australia | Iceland | Norway |
| Austria | Ireland | Portugal |
| Belgium | Italy | San Marino |
| Brunei | Japan | Singapore |
| Czech Republic | Latvia | Slovakia |
| Denmark | Liechtenstein | Slovenia |
| Estonia | Lithuania | South Korea |
| Finland | Luxembourg | Spain |
| France | Malta | Sweden |
| Germany | Monaco | Switzerland |
| Greece | The Netherlands | United Kingdom |
If you qualify for the Visa waiver program, the procedure is easy. When embarking on your journey to the USA from your departure city simply have in hand your up-to-date passport and our official letter of invitation. When you disembark at your port of entry in the USA you will receive the B1 Business visa as an official passport stamp.
When you travel under the Visa Waiver Program your visit in the United States must be for 90 days or less and is limited to the activities of tourism or business. The B1 Business visa is used by persons whose purpose of travel is to participate in an educational, professional, conference or seminar on specific dates at a specific location in the USA.
Our official letter of invitation is sent to you when you have completed payment for your workshop(s). The letter confirms that you will be participating in a seminar held at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and will include dates specific to the ICPSR Summer Program session or workshop(s) for which you have registered.
About entry into the United States: Please note that neither possession of a valid passport, nor meeting the basic requirements for traveling visa-free on the Visa Waiver Program, guarantees admission to the United States. As with most countries, immigration officials at the port of entry make the final determination of admissibility.
With the above in mind, please be aware that all persons who are registered in our program are classified as participants and never as students. This categorization is in place because the ICPSR Summer Program is not a degree-granting institution, tuition is not collected and transcripts are not issued. Please do not confuse or alarm immigration authorities by referring to yourself as a "student" in connection with your registration in the ICPSR Summer Program and the attendant purpose of travel to the United States. Always identify yourself as a "seminar participant."
ICPSR Summer Program English Language Proficiency
Our only requirement with respect to your English language skills is that you are confident that your language fluency will allow you to be fully engaged in our program and to personally profit from the overall experience. To this end please anticipate that ICPSR Summer Program participants actively engage in discussions by posing questions, contributing relevant commentary during workshops and have further opportunity to fully explore topics with instructors, teaching assistants and their peers in lecture, labs, office hours and in informal settings.
A TOEFL score is not required for persons participating in the ICPSR Summer Program. (TOEFL scores are necessary only for students who are enrolled in a degree program at the University of Michigan.)
Exchange Visitor Visa
To ensure that a J1 visa is obtained in time for your scheduled departure, you should contact Gwen Tessier lgt@umich.edu at the ICPSR Summer Program office at least 8 weeks before your anticipated start date with the ICPSR Summer Program.
For instance the short workshop schedule for 2012 begins on Tuesday, May 29, 2012 which means you would begin the visa inquiry process no later than Tuesday April 3, 2012.
Are you planning to attend Session I which begins on June 18? Please contact lgt@umich.edu or on before Monday, April 23, 2012. Like-wise for those planning to attend Session II, which begins on July 16, please initiate your visa inquiry on or before Monday, May 28, 2012.
Please anticipate providing proof of funding equivalent to the statement below.
$2,000/ month for an Exchange Visitor with no dependents
$2,900/ month for an Exchange Visitor + 1 dependent
$3,400/ month for an Exchange Visitor + 2 dependents
For each additional dependent add: $300 per month
Insurance
As a J-1 exchange visitor, you are required to have health insurance that meets U-M requirements for yourself and any accompanying J-2 dependents during the entire time you are a J-1 exchange visitor at the University of Michigan. Health Insurance costs are as follows:
Exchange visitor (no dependents): $89/month ($1,068/year)
Exchange visitor + 1 dependent: $321/month ($3,852/year)
Exchange visitor + 2 or more dependents: $554/month ($6,648/year)
When you attend your mandatory check – in at the International Center at the University of Michigan you will receive complete information regarding health insurance.
All J-1 Visa holders may enter the USA 30 days prior to their start date and may remain 30 days after their end date.
