Form DS-2019 (Certificate of Eligibility for Exchange Visitor Status)

The State Department says the DS-2019 can only be produced through SEVIS, so no blank forms exist. It is a two-page document that supports a J-1 visa application for the exchange visitor and a J-2 application for an accompanying spouse or children. Its blocks show:

• the exchange visitor (J-1) or dependent (J-2)
• the sponsor and its program number
• the program's beginning and end dates
• the program category and subject
• the estimated financial support for the program

The SEVIS ID number is printed in the top right-hand corner. You sign page one to accept the certification on page two.

For physicians in clinical training, the sponsor is Intealth, doing business as ECFMG, which the State Department authorizes to sponsor foreign national physicians in the J-1 category. ECFMG issues the DS-2019 once it approves your sponsorship application, which needs ECFMG certification, a training contract and a Statement of Need from your Ministry of Health. See J-1 visa for physicians.

ECFMG says each DS-2019 reflects specific training dates, levels and programs, is not transferable, and is to be used only for training at the institution it names. ECFMG can also issue a DS-2019 to a spouse and unmarried children under 21.

1. Check every detail, including the spelling of your name and the program dates.
2. Pay the $220 I-901 SEVIS fee using the SEVIS ID on the form.
3. If you are outside the US, book a J-1 visa interview and take the DS-2019. If you are already in the US in another status, ECFMG says you can apply to USCIS for a change of status on Form I-539.
4. Carry the DS-2019 to the port of entry. Federal rules let a J-1 and J-2 family be admitted up to 30 days before the program start date on the form.
5. Before traveling abroad during training, get the DS-2019 travel-endorsed by an ECFMG responsible officer. ECFMG says you need it, with a valid visa and passport, to re-enter.

ECFMG says your evidence of lawful J-1 status is a valid DS-2019 together with your I-94 or I-797. If training ends early, sponsorship ends on your last day of training, whatever date the form shows. After the program end date, ECFMG describes a 30-day grace period to prepare to leave, with no permission to work or train.

To continue beyond the end date, your hospital applies to ECFMG for an extension well before it. In July 2026 DHS published a final rule replacing "duration of status" with a fixed admission period tied to the DS-2019 end date and capped at 4 years, with extensions filed with USCIS. DHS gave an effective date of September 15, 2026 but said it could change, so check the current position with ECFMG before you travel or your dates change.

• Traveling without a travel endorsement, which can stop you re-entering.
• Using the form after resigning or being dismissed. ECFMG treats that as a status violation.
• Starting work before you hold J-1 status.

See our H-1B vs J-1 guide.