To qualify for a UCSF-sponsored J visa, students and scholars must demonstrate they have sufficient funding to cover their (and their dependents) living expenses throughout their entire visit to UCSF. Before the ISSO can issue a J-1 or J-2 DS-2019, visitors will need to provide documentation that they possess the minimum amount of funding listed below.
Documentation of funding can include employment letters confirming payment while at UCSF, fellowship letters from a private sponsor, personal bank statements, etc. When providing a bank statement from a family member, please include a letter from the family member confirming their willingness to act as a financial sponsor. See below for details that should be included in any letter of support or bank statement.
Minimum Funding for J-1 Visa Applicants
$3,141 per month
($37,692 per year)
Additional Funding for J-2 Dependents
$375 per month for each dependent
($4,500 per year for each dependent)
Funding Documentation Requirements
As required by the US Department of State, documents used to show funding must:
- Include the J-1 scholar's name
- Be issued within the past 6 months
- Include dates of support (if applicable)
- Be provided in English. If not in English, anyone other than the J-1 can translate the document line-by-line and must include the "Certificate of Translation Letter" below
- Include a currency conversion, if not in U.S. dollars (xe.com for conversion as an example)
- Be issued on institutional letterhead
- Include a signature from an individual who is authorized to issue letters on behalf of the University/institution. If the J-1 program will be supported by anyone other than the student or scholar, a "Letter of Support" must be written by the funding source, rather than a third party (example of "Letter of Support" below). For example, if a student or scholar is supported by a parent, the parent will be the "source" and will submit the letter of support and their bank statement on institutional letterhead.
Letter of Support (personal funding)
If the student or scholar will be personally supported by anyone other than themselves, a letter of support must be provided by the source of the funds. A bank statement supporting that meets the minimum requirements must be submitted with the Letter of Support. The language within the letter should be:
NAME ADDRESS COUNTRY [DATE] To Whom It May Concern, I, _________________________ (name of individual funding program), confirm that I will support ________________ (name of J-1 student or scholar) for the duration of their J-1 program while at UCSF. I have attached a bank statement issued within the past 6-months to confirm that I have the funds to meet UCSF's minimum funding requirements for ______________________'s (name of J-1 student or scholar) J-1 program. I have also included a certificate of translation letter (if appropriate) and a currency conversion if the bank statement is written in a language other than English or the funding amount is not in U.S. dollars (if appropriate). If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me. Sincerely, [Signature] Name of the individual funding program Contact information |
Certificate of Translation Letter
If a letter of support, fellowship letter or bank statement is issued in a language other than English, a certificate of translation must be submitted. The document must be translated line-by-line. The translator can be anyone other than the J-1 student or scholar. The sample language within the letter should be:
NAME OF TRANSLATOR ADDRESS OF TRANSLATOR COUNTRY OF TRANSLATOR [DATE] To Whom It May Concern, I, _______________________ (name of translator), declare under penalty and perjury that I am fluent in _____________ (language) and English and that the attached _______________________ (type of document) provided by ____________ (name of student or scholar) is an exact translation of the original document. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me. Sincerely, [Signature]
Translator Name Translator Contact information |