J-1 Scholar Off-Site Authorization

As a J-1 scholar, your professional activities in the United States are limited to that described on your DS-2019, and may only take place on the Stanford campus.  

However, the occasional lecture or short-term consultation may be authorized, but only with prior written approval from an international scholar advisor at Bechtel International Center.

***If you engage in off-site activities without prior authorization, you will be in violation of J-1 status. This can be cause for termination of the J program.  Please note that engaging in employment for a non-US entity without authorization while in J status in the US is considered unauthorized employment. Please email internationalscholars@stanford.edu with any questions.

Short-term consulting cannot be authorized if they exceed 3–4 hours per week and may not exceed a period of two months.

A request for authorization to engage in an occasional lecture or short-term consultation will be possible only if the proposed activity:

• is directly related to the objectives of your program;
• is incidental to your primary program activities; and
• does not delay the completion date of your program.

We need a letter and a form to consider an off-site activity request. Please send the two documents to internationalscholars@stanford.edu:

• Representatives of a firm or institution planning to invite a Stanford J-1 scholar to speak or consult should complete this form.
• The faculty host of a J-1 scholar who wishes to engage in an off-site activity should prepare a letter using this template.

The inviting organization will need a copy of the letter in order to pay an honorarium. You should keep a copy for your permanent record.