Immigration

For prospective visitors: Thank you for your interest in visiting San Diego State University.  SDSU supports J-1 visas for exchange visitors who have been invited to campus by an SDSU faculty member and who have met all program requirements for language proficiency and financial support.  Working with an SDSU faculty member on shared research, creative, and / or scholarly projects is the best way to secure an invitation to campus, as the campus does not offer a placement service.

For current SDSU faculty: Thank you for your interest in welcoming an international scholar visitor to SDSU.  Faculty play an essential role in inviting and hosting visiting scholars and sponsoring faculty assume primary responsibility for ensuring that the colleagues they invite are housed, welcomed to campus, and connected to meaningful scholarly experiences.  Here are the services SDSU campus offices can provide:

Faculty sponsors bear primarily responsibility for providing housing, logistical, and personal support to visitors.  Please review the following and discuss with prospective visitors:

  • Housing support:  Please ensure that international scholar colleagues understand the high cost and limited availability of housing in San Diego prior to making application.  SDSU faculty who invite international scholar colleagues to campus, whether as a J-1 visitor or in any other capacity, bear primary responsibility for helping visitors secure housing immediately upon arrival.  SDSU does not have institutional resources for housing, hosting, or helping visitors navigate local rental markets; you may provide this published SDSU guide to Off-Campus Housing.  If you are sponsoring a J-1 exchange visitor who faces acute housing insecurity, please contact your Dean immediately for assistance.
  • Employment authorization: SDSU employment is not available to visitors who do not have authorization to work in the United States or whose residence is located outside the state of California.
  • Logistical support:  If a faculty member invites an international scholar colleague to campus, whether as  J-1 visitor or in any other capacity, the faculty member bears primary responsibility for providing direct, engaged navigational support–including getting a Red ID, an email, and finding their way to campus.  Visitors who do not have authorization to work in the United States may access campus resources (Red ID and email) via the SDSU Human Resources volunteer process.  Log into Sharepoint to access volunteer forms.  Processing volunteer paperwork is subject to delays, especially during holidays and breaks.
  • Personal support:  If a faculty member invites an international scholar colleague to campus, whether as  J-1 visitor or in any other capacity, the faculty member bears primary responsibility for supporting visiting faculty during any exigencies, including travel delays, lost immigration documents, severe illness, robbery, arrest, domestic disturbance, natural disasters, etc.  Please contact University Police to report lost passports or any crime / incident involving a J-1 scholar; please also contact Faculty Advancement, as we are required to file incident reports with the Department of State.  For non J-1 visitors who require police assistance on campus, please contact University Police; for matters impacting J-1 visitors off campus, please call 911.
  • Delays in securing or processing visas or making consulate appointments are common. Sponsors bear primary responsibility for supporting visitors through any delays or exigencies.