J2 visa: eligibility and job prospects

[Elchorro]

Hi all!
 

I am European admitted to funded program at Columbia ($35k stipend). I have done some research and it turns out I am eligible for J-1 visa, this was confirmed by the university. 
 

Does anyone know how the application process for J-2 for my spouse looks like? Do we need to prove that we will be able to live on my stipend itself. Obviously the reason I want to be on J-1 is that my wife will be able to work. Do you have any experience with looking for a job while on J-2. Is it much harder? I am aware that some kind of authorization is needed? Is it just a formality or do people actually get declined?

I would appreciate if you could share your experiences with J1/J2 visas.

Thank you very much! 

[TakeruK]

Hello! My spouse and I are/were in the same situation. I am on J-1 and my spouse is on J-2. I only pursued graduate programs that will grant me J-1 status because we want both of us to be able to work. 

In order to get permission to work in the US, your spouse needs to obtain the I-795, otherwise known as the Employment Authorization Document or EAD. It looks like this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Employment_authorization_document

Our school's international office helped us with the application process. It is a little lengthy but it does seem to be routine. You will have to provide a lot of documentation. My DS-2019 (J-1 status) is valid for 6 years and they granted my spouse an EAD for 4 years. It expired a few months ago, but before that, we renewed it so my spouse has an EAD valid until the end of my J-1 status (since J-2 status is only valid as long as the J-1 is in valid status).

The instructions for applying for a EAD are all here: https://www.uscis.gov/i-765. Most of the documents you must submit are things that prove your eligibility for the EAD. For example, marriage certificate to prove that your spouse is your spouse (yes, even though you already provided this proof when your spouse applies for J-2), your own DS-2019 to prove that you are on J-1 status etc. You will also need to prove that you do not require the J-2's income in order to meet your basic living expenses, as you said. This is because you must be able to provide for both you and your spouse on your own stipend in order to qualify for J-1/J-2 in the first place. They don't want you working to meet this minimum expense.

To prove this point, you will have to provide details of your living expenses and your current income to prove that you don't need the J-2's income. This can be done via the Form I-795WS (worksheet). My school recommended writing a letter with some detailed budget breakdown instead of just the total (e.g. rent, food, insurance, etc.). Keep it simple, only 7 or 8 categories. Note: You only need to prove that it is possible for you to live on just your income, you don't necessarily have to only live on your income. That is, show that your minimal expenses are low enough to survive on your income and you can use your spouse's income to upgrade your living conditions. My school also suggested we provide some examples on what we would spend my spouse's income on, and good categories are things like vacations, travel home to visit family, buying a car, taking recreational classes etc. (to be safe, I would not mention anything that might be construed as a living expense). You don't have to provide proof of what you actually spend the money on.

The whole process took about 3 months for them to approve us. It seems like it is a formality, provided you meet all the requirements since I don't know anyone rejected for a EAD but my experience is limited. When your spouse gets the EAD, they should apply for a SSN right away, no need to wait for a job. Your spouse does need the EAD before they can start any work though. It took my spouse another 3 months to find work but this will depend on what type of work your spouse is looking for and the availability of such jobs! 

Note that the EAD is used for a wide variety of visa statuses, so be sure to enter the right information into the form. The above stipend requirements seem a little weird but they actually work out quite well for grad students, since grad students are generally paid just enough to live but not much else. Good luck! Let me know if you have further questions.

[Elchorro]

@TakeruK Thank you very much! That was very helpful

[tere93]

Hi there!! Thanks a lot for all the info @TakeruK!

 I am in the same situation with my partner. I was wondering if you had any recommendations as for health insurance for those months in which he won't be working (while applying for EAD and after looking for a job). My scholarship provides me with an insurance but not him, so I am a bit scared that he won't be safe those months. Any ideas?

 

Thanks a lot!!

[Elchorro]

@tere93 Welcome fellow Edinburger! I looked into health insurance already so I can share my findings. My fellowship offer allows me to enroll my dependents on University insurance plan and they will pay half of the premiums. We are probably going to do that at least for half a year - better safe than sorry! This information wasn't explicitly stated in the letter but it was confirmed by the Graduate School, so you may want to look into that.

[tere93]

1 hour ago, Elchorro said:

@tere93 Welcome fellow Edinburger! I looked into health insurance already so I can share my findings. My fellowship offer allows me to enroll my dependents on University insurance plan and they will pay half of the premiums. We are probably going to do that at least for half a year - better safe than sorry! This information wasn't explicitly stated in the letter but it was confirmed by the Graduate School, so you may want to look into that.

Great! I'll ask the department then. I just need it while he applies for the EAD and finds a job (hopefully fast). Enjoy the "sunny" day

[TakeruK]

@tere93: At my school, they pay 0% of any dependent health insurance through the school. However, your partner will still qualify for the "Obamacare"/ACA marketplace plan (provided it still exists this fall). You don't have to be American to be on these government-supported plans (you just need to prove legal presence, i.e. your DS-2019). My school does offer funding support to help pay for dependent health care (up to $1200 per year) and you can use it on any plan, it doesn't have to be the student plan. Typically you can expect to pay about $3000-$4000 per year for a good health plan, if that helps you budget. But costs vary from state to state.

Note: You can often buy the school's plan one term at a time (4 months), so if the school plan isn't much more expensive than the state's plan, it could be more convenient. Don't forget that as J-1 and J-2, you must be both be insured from day one (we have different insurance requirements than F-1 and F-2). We opted to put my spouse on the school plan at first, then transitioned to Obamacare plan (spouse's first job didn't provide health benefits but their later jobs did).

[tere93]

@TakeruK so that means that my husband has to be on a health insurance plan (for example, the uni's one) from the moment we arrive in the US? Thanks again for the info!!

[TakeruK]

51 minutes ago, tere93 said:

@TakeruK so that means that my husband has to be on a health insurance plan (for example, the uni's one) from the moment we arrive in the US? Thanks again for the info!!

That's my understanding, and in 2012 when we entered, we received the advice of having proof of insurance upon entry. It was not checked though but I guess it could have been? I don't know if the rules have changed since then.

Another option is to consider traveler's insurance but that will only cover you for a short time. Could be enough to get onto the ACA plans though. 

P.S. Even if the rules don't require insurance from day one, given how much health care costs in the US, I would highly recommend having it all the time. Hopefully it will not happen, but a bad accident on the first few days could end up costing you a ton of money!

[Jaccard]

Hi everyone! Wow, I was so happy to find some people with the same problem and questions here! I will be starting a PhD in the fall and my school doesn't cover health insurance for my partner (on a J-2 visa)..

On 3/7/2017 at 3:34 PM, TakeruK said:

@tere93: At my school, they pay 0% of any dependent health insurance through the school. However, your partner will still qualify for the "Obamacare"/ACA marketplace plan (provided it still exists this fall). You don't have to be American to be on these government-supported plans (you just need to prove legal presence, i.e. your DS-2019). My school does offer funding support to help pay for dependent health care (up to $1200 per year) and you can use it on any plan, it doesn't have to be the student plan. Typically you can expect to pay about $3000-$4000 per year for a good health plan, if that helps you budget. But costs vary from state to state.

Note: You can often buy the school's plan one term at a time (4 months), so if the school plan isn't much more expensive than the state's plan, it could be more convenient. Don't forget that as J-1 and J-2, you must be both be insured from day one (we have different insurance requirements than F-1 and F-2). We opted to put my spouse on the school plan at first, then transitioned to Obamacare plan (spouse's first job didn't provide health benefits but their later jobs did).

My school also referred to this "marketplace" plan. When you were considering this, did you find out whether this type of plan would be approved/enough for J-2 insurance (since the requirements for that are a bit stricter)? Thank you so much for sharing your experiences (in this post and in general)

[TakeruK]

I think the Silver plan is enough and it's generally the right balance of budget and coverage for most generally healthy people. I don't know the specific requirements off the top of my head so I don't know if Bronze will cover it. Gold and Platinum are good plans too but I would only consider them if you are going to be using the doctor a lot because of pre-existing conditions since the premiums are a lot higher.