J-2/F-2 Dependent Family Members

If you are or will be in J-1/F-1 status, your legally married spouse and dependent children under age 21 may be eligible for J-2/F-2 status to accompany you or follow you separately to the U.S. If you are already in the U.S. and would like to request a Certificate of Eligibility DS-2019 for the purpose of inviting family in J-2/F-2 status, please complete the Dependent Request Form and submit it along with the required documentation to the OIS. A new DS-2019 form will be prepared for each of your family members.

Employment and Coursework

Postdoctoral Fellows needing more information about their F-2/J-2 dependent rights and responsibilities should make an appointment with OIS.

Public Charge

International postdocs with families often experience financial difficulties that are no different from those experienced by American postdocs with families. Although the U.S. government has benefit programs designed to assist low-income families living in the U.S., such programs are available only to U.S. Permanent Residents. Non-immigrants on F or J visas are generally not eligible. Unfortunately, administrators of many public assistance programs rarely have the expertise to assess eligibility based on immigration status. Overlapping government regulations and eligibility standards – particularly when benefits are requested on behalf of children who are U.S. citizens- compound the confusion.
When a postdoc applies for a non-immigrant visa he/she has to demonstrate to the Consular Officer that he/she has the means to support, not only him/herself, but dependents, as well. Acceptance of public assistance can be a violation of an immigration status under the “public charge” ground of exclusion. “Public charge” is a term used by DHS and the State Department to classify persons who have become dependent on federal or state assistance programs. If DHS, Consulate or Embassy finds that a person has become a “public charge” because he/she has accepted public assistance, that student could be denied reentry to the U.S. after a trip home. The non-immigrant visa could even be canceled. Such a finding is extremely difficult to overcome or reverse.

Examples of public assistance programs not open to non-immigrants are:

• Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC);
• Medicaid, which provides reimbursement for medical care to low–income persons;
• Food stamps, which provide low-income families with coupons to buy foods;
• Some federally funded medical and housing programs.

Even if the administrator of a benefit finds a graduate student eligible for support and encourages that person to apply for benefits, he/she may not understand that acceptance could affect the immigration status.

Medical Insurance

The importance of adequate medical insurance for international postdocs and their families cannot be overstated. Family health and the ability to continue an educational program depends on it. J-1 students are required by law to maintain health insurance for themselves and their dependents throughout their stay in the U.S. Postdoctoral Fellows are automatically enrolled in the university health plan and have the option to add their dependents at their own cost. For more information, please contact [email protected].