J-2 Dependents

Source: https://bechtel.stanford.edu/navigate-international-life/visas/j-1-scholar-visa/j-2-dependents Parent: https://bechtel.stanford.edu/navigate-international-life

Those on a J-1 Scholars visa may bring immediate family members (spouse and unmarried children under age 21) as J-2 dependents. Unmarried partners are not eligible for J-2 status.

Dependents must have their own DS-2019 forms.

If dependents will be accompanying the J Scholar to the U.S., the department should request a DS-2019 for each dependent at the primary visa holder’s DS-2019 submission. If the dependents need to be added after the J-1 Scholar is already in the U.S., the department should submit a new request in Axess to add dependents.

If the J-1 Scholar is subject to the Two-year Home-country Physical Presence Requirementand/or the 24-month Bar, the J-2 dependents are also subject to these requirements. The Two-Year Home Residency Requirement would prevent the J-2 from applying for their own H-1B status, while the 24-month Bar would prevent the J-2 from obtaining their own J-1 in the Research Scholar or Professor Category. More information can be found at Two-year Home-country Physical Presence Requirement.

Funding Requirements for J-2 Dependents

In addition to showing adequate financial resources to complete the program, the J-1 Scholar must show financial resources to support any accompanying dependents.

In addition to the minimum funding required for a J-1 scholar ($2,500 per month/ $30,000 per year), those bringing dependents must show a minimum of $600 per month/ $7,200 per year for a spouse and $300 per month/ $3,600 per year for each child.

In many cases, the J-1 Scholar’s funding or salary is sufficient to cover the costs of the dependents. Sometimes additional financial support is needed. Proof of funding may be in the form of a recent bank letter or bank statement.

The department hosting the J-1 Scholar should retain the evidence of sufficient funds that J-1 provides demonstrating this financial support for the dependents for three years after the completion of your J-1 program.

The required funding amount is calculated based on the J-1 program start and end dates, not by the dependents’ entry to and departure from the U.S. Use the Dependent Funding Worksheet to calculate required funding.