Metadata
Title
Post-Arrival Checklist
Category
general
UUID
023f256c82a74111814e7041639f9f50
Source URL
https://oia.osu.edu/scholars/j-1-visiting-scholars/post-arrival-checklist
Parent URL
https://oia.osu.edu/
Crawl Time
2026-03-18T05:29:04+00:00
Rendered Raw Markdown

Post-Arrival Checklist

Source: https://oia.osu.edu/scholars/j-1-visiting-scholars/post-arrival-checklist Parent: https://oia.osu.edu/

Complete departmental paperwork

Complete new employee paperwork and procedures in your Ohio State host department. Complete tax forms and paperwork for the Ohio State ID card. Determine availability of office space and supplies as well as expectations within the department.

Obtain an Ohio State identification card (BuckID, Medical Center ID or Children's Hospital ID)

Your Ohio State ID Card allows access to facilities, including libraries, recreation centers, computer labs, etc.

To get a BuckID, go to the BuckID Office, Room 3040 on the third floor of the Ohio Union, 1739 N. High St., to take a photo and receive the ID. Make sure to bring a form of identification with you. (Employees at the Ohio State Medical Center and Children's Hospital follow a different procedure—please contact your department's Human Resources officer).

Attend Visiting Scholar Orientation

Fulfill the mandatory check-in requirement by selecting an Orientation Session at International Affairs in Enarson Classroom Building. Review materials and keep these materials where you can refer to them as needed.

Obtain health insurance

The U.S. government requires all J-1 scholars and their J-2 dependents to have health insurance coverage that meets certain minimum requirements throughout their entire stay in the United States. If you will be using an Ohio State Faculty and Staff Medical Plan, you will need to arrange for that immediately upon arriving at Ohio State. For detailed information regarding insurance, please see the Required Health Insurance section of our website.

Get a U.S. social security card

To obtain a Social Security letter, please attend J-1 orientation within 20 days of your arrival.

Once you attend J-1 orientation and your J-1 program has been validated in SEVIS, a Scholar Immigration Specialist can create an SSN letter for you to pick up at 140 Enarson Classroom Building.

Social Security Administration Offices are accepting walk-ins, and you do not need to schedule an appointment.

Prior to going to the Social Security Administration Office, please complete the SSN application. When you complete the form online, you will be provided a control number to print off or write down and provide to the SSA when you submit your documents.

Social Security Administration Office Locations:

You will need to bring the following documents with you to your appointment:

Tour the campus

If you're interested, call the Admissions Office at +1 614-292-3980 and make a reservation. Guided tours of some campus buildings are provided to visitors, new students, faculty and staff. Learn more at visit.osu.edu.