Welcome to the University of Delaware! This information will help you prepare for your stay in the state of Delaware (DE). Please contact us if you have further questions after reading this material. We look forward to meeting you upon your arrival!
Obtain Your Visa
Use your passport and the enclosed SEVIS DS-2019 form (for J-1 visa) and schedule your visa appointment. Take all the previously mentioned documents along with your original admission letter, SEVIS fee receipt, and financial documentation (ex: Stipend letter from the department, financial support letter, sponsorship letter, current bank statement) to the US embassy or consulate in your country to apply for your visa. The following website provides links to all US embassies and consulates worldwide: http://usembassy.state.gov. Once approved, the visa is stamped in your passport. Canadian citizens are exempt from having to obtain a visa but must use their DS-2019s to enter the U.S. and must obtain a Form I-94 clearly indicating J-1 status. You are permitted to enter the US 30 days prior to the start date noted on your DS-2019 form. You are required to report to and attend the school designated on your visa stamp and DS-2019 form. For more information please visit the "Obtaining an J-1 visa" or visit the Department of State website (J-1).
Please note: You should have U.S. currency available for travel expenses and any emergency that might occur between arrival at port of entry and arrival in Newark, Delaware.
J-1 and J-2 Health Insurance
As an Exchange Visitor in the United States, under a rule effective September 1, 1994, you must carry health insurance for yourself and your J-2 dependents for the full duration of your J program. Government regulations stipulate that if, after that date, you willfully fail to carry health insurance for yourself and your dependents, your J-1 sponsor (University of Delaware) must terminate your program, and report the termination to the Department of State (DOS) in Washington.
DOS has established the following requirements for the type and amounts of coverage you must carry if you hold J-1 or J-2 status:
- Deductible must be $500 or less per accident or illness.
- The insurance company must pay at least 75% of covered medical expenses.
- If a particular activity is part of your Exchange Visitor program, your insurance must cover injuries resulting from your participation in that activity.
- The policy must provide "medical benefits of at least $50,000 for each accident or illness."
- If you should die in the U.S., the policy must provide at least $7,500 in benefits to send your remains to your home country for burial.
- If, because of a serious illness or injury, you must be sent home on the advice of a doctor, the policy must pay up to $10,000 for the expenses of your travel.
- The policy may establish a waiting period before it covers pre-existing conditions (health problems you had before you bought the insurance), as long as the waiting period is reasonable by current standards in the insurance industry.
- The policy must be backed by the full faith and credit of your home country government or the company providing the insurance must meet minimum rating requirements established by DOS (an A. M. Best rating of "A-" or above, an Insurance Solvency International, Ltd. (ISI) rating of "A-i" or above, a Standard & Poor's Claims-paying Ability rating of "A-" or above, or a Weiss Research, Inc. rating of B+ or above).
Make your Travel Plans to the U.S
Most Visiting Scholars coming to the University of Delaware arrive in the United States at JFK Airport in New York or Newark, New Jersey or Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. We recommend that you arrive at Philadelphia International Airport (airport code: PHL). If you are flying into New York, you should purchase an add-on ticket to Philadelphia from New York at the time you purchase your ticket to the U.S. It is more convenient and less expensive.
The University of Delaware campus is located in Newark, Delaware. You will need to make additional arrangements to travel from the airport to campus when you arrive in the U.S. Philadelphia International Airport is less than one hour away from campus while JFK, LaGuardia, and Newark International Airports are two/four hours from UD’s campus. Please note that Newark International Airport is in Newark, New Jersey and NOT in Newark, Delaware.
