The College of Professional and Global Education

Inviting International Scholars to Cal Poly Pomona

J Visa Categories

Cal Poly Pomona is authorized by the Department of State to invite research scholars and professors for collaborate research. The International Center partners with CPP faculty in the invitation process to ensure our campus compliance with regulations governing the J1 Exchange Visitor program.

Under Federal regulations, colleges and university departments may invite visiting research scholars and visiting professors to the campus to collaborate on research projects, give lectures or seminars, or even teach a class for a semester. A visiting foreign scholar or professor must have a specific objective stated on his or her immigration document called a Certificate of Eligibility or DS2019, and that objective may not change, even if he or she changes from one institution to another.  International visitors may be invited to come in one of the following categories:

  • Short-term Scholar, 6 months or less
  • Research Scholar, 6 months to 5 years
  • Visiting Professor, 6 months to 1 year (*CPP faculty should consult with Faculty Affairs about the duration of a contract for a visiting professor)

Short-term Scholars may lecture, observe, consult, and participate in seminars, workshops, conferences, study tours, professional meetings, or similar types of educational and professional activities. Short-term scholars may not extend their stay in the US. 

Those in the Research Scholar and Professor categories may participate in all of the above type of activities and may stay in the U.S up to a total of 5 years.  They may not change their objective in the U.S. Exchange Visitors in the Professor category may only be in a visiting faculty position – they may not be a candidate for tenure. The visitor may take the place temporarily of someone who is a candidate for tenure, such as someone who may be on sabbatical, but the J-1 may not be in a tenure-track faculty position. 

Taking academic classes may not be the main objective or the main activity of the international exchange visitor.  Regulations do not prohibit visiting scholars and professors from auditing or enrolling in academic courses through the Open University as long as this is incidental to their stated objective.   

Colleges and departments should consult with the Coordinator, International Student & Scholar Services in the International Center regarding the process of inviting a scholar to campus.