Immediate family members (spouse and unmarried children under 21) of the J-1 scholar are J-2 dependents. Unmarried partners are not eligible for J-2 status.
Dependents need their own DS-2019 forms.
If dependents are accompanying the J-1 visa holder, the dependent information should be included in the department’s initial request. In some cases, dependents need to be added after the J-1 is already in the U.S. In that case, departments should submit a new request in Axess to add dependents.
Please note that if the J-1 is subject to the Two-Year Home Residency Requirement and/or the 24-month Bar, the J-2s are also subject. The Two-Year Home Residency Requirement would prevent the J-2 from applying for their own H-1B status, while the 24-month Bar would prevent the J-2 from obtaining their own J-1 in the Research Scholar or Professor Category. More information on that here: https://bechtel.stanford.edu/immigration/visa-types/j-1-scholar/repeat-participation-bar and https://bechtel.stanford.edu/immigration/visa-types/j-1-scholar/two-year-home-residency-requirement
Funding Requirements for J-2 Dependents
The J-1 must show adequate financial resources to complete his or her program as well as to support any accompanying dependents.
In addition to minimum funding required for a J-1 scholar ($2,500 per month/$30,000 per year), those bringing dependents need to show a minimum of $600 per month/ $7,200 per year for a spouse and $300 per month/ $3,600 per year for each child.
In many cases, the scholar’s funding or salary is sufficient to cover the costs of the dependents. Sometimes additional financial support is needed. Proof of funding may be in the form of a recent bank letter or bank statement. The department should retain the evidence of sufficient funds from the scholar demonstrating this financial support for the dependents for three years after the completion of the J-1's program.
The required funding amount is calculated based on the J-1's program start and end dates, not by dependent’s entry to and departure from the U.S. Use the Dependent Funding Worksheet to calculate required funding.
Special note about “Extension” requests: Before requesting an extension for a J-1 scholar, please check the hard copy DS-2019 in order to determine if the J-1 has dependents. The online extension request does not show dependent information.
Postdoctoral Scholars with More Than Two Dependents
The minimum postdoc salary at Stanford will already cover the dependent costs for a spouse and one child. Most postdocs will have sufficient funds to cover costs for their dependents, if any.
However, if a postdoc has more than two dependents and his/her salary does not cover the costs, then the J-1 will need to supplement the salary with enough personal funds to cover the dependent costs. In most cases, there is no “Personal Funds” option in the “Initial,” “Extension,” or “Update Funds without extension” workflow requests, so the department will need to note the additional personal funds in the “Comments” section of the request form, with the explanation that the supplementary personal funds be added to the J-1’s DS-2019.
