Occasional Lectures and Short-Term Consultations

A J-1 Professor or Research Scholar may participate in occasional lectures and short-term consultations, when authorized in advance and in writing by the OIA under the conditions outlined below. The activity must:

• be directly related to your activity at the University of Chicago;

• be incidental;

• not delay the completion date of your J-1 program; and

• be approved by your PI/superviser in advance.

To receive approval, a letter from OIA authorizing the lectures or consultations is needed BEFORE this activity occurs.  If you are paid/provided a remuneration you will need to provide this letter to the organization that will pay you and you must act as an independent contractor. Additionally, your SEVIS record will be updated to add the funding source and additional site of activity.

Failure to receive advance approval and/or an amended Form DS-2019 before accepting an honorarium or other type of payment for engaging in a normally approvable and appropriate activity represents a minor or technical infraction that must be reported in SEVIS. Examples of normally approvable and appropriate activities include a lecture or consultation by Professors or Research Scholars, or other activity appropriate to the exchange visitor's category, such as academic training or on-campus employment by college and university students.

To obtain this approval letter, please submit the request form and allow 5-7 days for processing.