excerpt from www.virginia.edu/iso/issp/student/f1visalegal.htm

Canadian citizens do not require J-1 visas in order to enter the U.S. in J-1 status.  However, they are subject to the SEVIS fee.

Canadian citizens must show your SEVIS fee receipt, along with your DS-2019 and passport, in order to be granted admission initially to the U.S. in J-1 status.  The SEVIS fee cannot be paid at the land border crossing or at the Canadian airport before you leave for the U.S.  You must go online and pay it 3-7 days before you enter the U.S.  See below for details.

If you are a Canadian citizen sponsored in J-1 visa status by the Cordell Hull Foundation, you do NOT require a J-1 visa in your passport (thus no contact with the U.S. embassy!).

You do, however, require a signed DS-2019 form and you must present it to a U.S. border officer before entering the U.S.

When to Enter the U.S.

You may enter the country only up to 30 days before the start date indicated on your DS-2019 form.

The SEVIS Fee for J-1 Visitor Status         

The SEVIS fee is a $180, one-time only fee.

Who is required to pay the SEVIS fee?

·     Canadian citizens seeking first-time J-1 status upon their admission to the U.S.

·     Teachers in J-1 status seeking reinstatement to J-1 status after substantial status violation.

Who is not required to pay the SEVIS fee?

·     Canadian citizens seeking re-admission to the U.S. in J-1 status during the course of their existing J-1 programs.

·     Applicants for first-time J-1 visas whose applications for those visas was initially rejected may re-apply within 12 months of the initial denial notice without incurring another SEVIS Fee.

·    J-2 dependents (spouse or child only)

How is the SEVIS fee charged and collected?

1. Online submission of form I-901 (www.FMJFee.com) to DHS with payment of the $180 SEVIS Fee via Visa, MasterCard, or American Express. You can pay the SEVIS fee online from anywhere in the world.

2.  Mail-in submission of form I-901 to DHS address on form along with $180 SEVIS fee paid by check, money order, Western Union, or foreign draft drawn on a financial institution in the U.S. and payable in U.S. currency. Mail-in form I-901 is sent to a DHS office in the U.S. This is the least efficient method of paying the SEVIS fee.

Someone other than you (a friend, family member) can pay the SEVIS fee for you by using one of the two methods just described.   They will need your SEVIS ID, found in the top right-hand corner of the DS-2019 form.