Visa Overview for Scholars/Employees

The host department or unit should be the primary point of contact at Stanford. Departments are responsible for requesting immigration documents from the I-Center. Once the I-Center has issued the required documents, we will notify the department.

Your department or host unit has to agree on an affiliation or title, how long the affiliation will last, how you will be funded during this time (especially if you will not be getting money from Stanford), and whether you will be bringing family members with you.

Click here for a chart that explains who can study and/or work in the U.S.

Depending upon the nature of your affiliation and, in some cases, your country of origin, there are a few different visa types you can use to come to Stanford.

• J-1 Exchange Visitor Visa
• H-1B Visa
• H-1B and J-1 visa comparison (for Stanford postdocs ONLY)
• Permanent Residence
• O-1 Extraordinary Ability
• Free Trade Visas
• B Visas & Visa Waiver
• F-1 students on Practical Training
• J-1 students on Academic Training