Mines Short Courses

All J-1 Exchange Visitors must provide sufficient documentation of adequate financial resources to cover the cost of living for the duration of their stay at Mines.  Adequate financial resources are:

• Minimum $600 USD for a course up to 4 days

J-1 Exchange Visitor’s can receive their funding from outside organizations, companies or home governments, or they can use personal or family funds. All financial documentation must be in English, or be accompanied by an official English translation.  Official copies are not required but any document submitted to ISSS must be clear and legible.

Guidelines of documentation from different sources

Home Government Funds or Other Organization Funds:  A letter from the organization or government, signed, dated and on letterhead, that clearly states how much money the J-1 exchange visitor will receive per month or year, and a statement confirming the money will be available for the duration of the J-1’s time at Mines. The letter cannot be more than three months old. Funds can be listed in USD or in the home country’s currency as long as the currency is clearly indicated.

Personal/Family Funds: Bank statement (in English) no more than three months old that has the applicant’s name on it. Funds can be listed in USD or in the home country’s currency as long as the currency is clearly indicated.

An official letter from a financial institution is also acceptable with the exchange visitor’s name, date, signature or stamp from the bank, and a confirmation that the account holder has sufficient funds to meet the minimum financial requirements of the J-1 program. Specific amounts must be provided in the letter. The letter cannot be more than three months old.

If the funding will be provided by a personal sponsor, such as a spouse, the funding documentation must include a letter or statement from the sponsor’s bank as outlined above AND a letter from the personal sponsor similar to the letter from a company. The letter from the personal sponsor must be signed and notarized.

All J-1 Exchange Visitors, and their spouses and children who are in the US as J-2 dependents, must maintain health insurance for the duration of their stay in the US. The U.S. Department of State has issued strict requirements for J-1 and J-2 insurance policies to meet.  These requirements are noted below:

Part of the application for the DS-2019 includes providing evidence of English proficiency. English proficiency can be demonstrated in the following ways:

• Being a native English speaker and citizen from Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, Bahamas, Belize, Botswana, Canada, Commonwealth Caribbean, Ghana, Great Britain, Ireland, Jamaica, Liberia, Mauritius, New Zealand, Nigeria, North Mariana Islands, Philippines, Samoa, Scotland, Singapore, South Africa, Trinidad and Tobago, Uganda, Zambia, or Zimbabwe, OR
• Documented interview by ISSS via video-conference, or telephone. Please let ISSS know if you would like to schedule a English Proficiency Interview. Documentation includes a letter or memo on departmental letterhead and includes the following:
  • Date and method of the interview
  • Name and title of the person conducting the interview
  • Name and current position of the prospective J-1 Exchange Visitor
  • An assessment of whether the prospective exchange visitor is proficient in verbal English sufficient to participate in the Short Course at the Colorado School of Mines.
• Copy of a diploma from a U.S. institution or foreign institution where instruction occurred in English, and, if applicable, documentation that the instruction occurred in English.
• Recognized English language test (IELTS, TOEFL), OR
  • IELTS Minimum Scores: Minimum overall band of 6.5, with no individual band below 6.0.
  • TOEFL (iBT) Minimum Scores: Minimum overall of 79 with no individual band below the following:
    • Reading: 20
    • Listening: 21
    • Writing: 17
    • Speaking: 21

After receiving the form DS-2019, Certificate of Eligibility, you may then apply for the J-1 visa at the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate abroad. To apply for a J-1 visa, generally you are required to complete the following:

• Once you receive the DS-2019, Certificate of Eligibility, review the document to ensure all information is accurate. If any information is incorrect, please contact ISSS immediately.
• If the DS-2019 is fully accurate, complete your SEVIS I-901 fee payment
  • All J-1 visitors are required to pay the SEVIS I-901 fee. This fee goes towards the maintenance of your J-1 SEVIS record throughout your program in the United States. SEVIS is the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System. This is the database that monitors your J-1 program and provides information to other government agencies as needed.After you pay the fee, print out the receipt and bring it to the interview at the consulate with you.
• Complete the Online Nonimmigrant visa Application using form DS-160 
• Schedule your U.S. embassy appointment
• Review the website for the U.S. embassy where you will apply for the J-1 visa
  • The U.S. embassy website will have the necessary information about required documentation for the interview
• Prepare for your visa interview
  • Arrive a minimum of 20 minutes early to get through security
  • Carry all required documents
  • Answer all questions asked by the consular official with succinct and truthful responses
  • Be polite and patient
• Notify the International Student and Scholar Services office about the outcome of your visa appointment
  • You will be told at the end of the appointment how your visa will be processed

All international visitors, except citizens of Canada and Bermuda, are required to obtain a U.S. visa for entry into the US. J-1 exchange visitors must get a J-1 visa for the specific sub-category of their program (i.e. Research Scholar, Short-Term Scholar).  If you have a different visa in your passport (i.e. F-1, B-1/B-2, etc.), you cannot use it to begin a J-1 program.  Entering into the US with a J-1 visa classifies you as a J-1 exchange visitor.

Citizens of Canada and Bermuda can enter the U.S. without a visa, however you must be sure that your passport is stamped J-1 as you enter the US.

An exchange visitor is eligible to arrive to the United States up to 30 days before the Program Start Date listed on the DS-2019. 

Required Check In with ISSS

After you arrive on campus, you must check in with the international office to activate your SEVIS status. You should receive an email from the international office asking you to schedule this appointment.  Failure to have your SEVIS status activated will result in you going out of status and no longer being legally eligible to visit Mines. 

As a J1 Visa holder, you have 30 days after the end date on your DS 2019 to travel throughout the US. Once you exit the US during this time period you will no longer be permitted to use your DS 2019 to re-enter. Please plan travel accordingly. 

In some cases, J-1 holders are subject to a two-year home residence requirement which obliges the J-1 visa holder (and their J-2 dependents) to return to their country of permanent residency for two years before being eligible to apply for an immigrant visa or a non-immigrant H or L visa. The requirement also makes J-1 visa holders (and their J-2 dependents) ineligible to change to any other visa status within the United States if they are subject to it.

Not all J-1 visa holders are subject to this requirement. The requirement only applies to those individuals in one of the following situations: