In support of the DIS mission, our staff provides U.S. immigration-related services to the NIH community. DIS provides guidance regarding foreign national scientists’ initial entry into the United States, international travel and re-entry into the country, transfers and extensions of stay, changes of immigration status, and more. Some of our most common services are below.
Case Processing
DIS processes requests from Institutes, Centers, and Offices (ICOs) to initiate or extend a scientist’s time in the
NIH Visiting Program. These requests are known as cases or packages. Administrators should refer to our
Case Preparation guidance before submitting cases to DIS.
Refer to our
How to Submit Cases and Documents page. You will receive an email confirmation of receipt from DIS after your submission.
To check the status of your case, visit
DIS Customer Portal.
Check-In/EOD
All new
NIH Visiting Program participants must check in with DIS (“Enter-on-Duty” or “EOD”) no later than their first day of work at NIH to activate their award, appointment, or assignment. The DIS check-in process is fully online at this time:
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Employees [Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) positions e.g., Research Fellow] Onboarding is processed on a case-by-case basis by the assigned DIS Immigration Specialist in consultation with the Institute/Center.
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Trainees/Assignees [Non-FTE e.g., Visiting Fellow, Special Volunteer] Refer to our Check-In with DIS page.
Advising
DIS provides guidance regarding immigration-related issues to NIH Visiting Program participants, administrators, and laboratory sponsors. Contractors at NIH must contact their contracting company for immigration-related guidance.
DIS offers drop-in advising, virtual advising appointments, and in-person advising appointments:
NIH Badge Validation
DIS must verify that all foreign nationals are conducting activities at NIH that are appropriate for their immigration status. Accordingly, DIS validation is often required in the NIH Enterprise Directory (NED) before an individual’s NIH identification badge can be issued. DIS does not validate badges for U.S. citizens or U.S. lawful permanent residents (green card holders).
DIS validation processes are different for Visiting Program participants and NIH Contractors. Consult our
NIH Badges page for additional information. Contractors should consult our
Contractor Badges guidance.
Travel Signatures
Scientists sponsored by NIH in J-1 or J-2 status who plan to travel internationally must have a valid travel signature from DIS on their Form DS-2019 to re-enter the United States. Scientists should review our
Travel Guidance. If you need a travel signature from DIS on your Form DS-2019, refer to the
Document Pickup & Travel Signatures page of our website.
Newsletters
DIS shares important immigration updates, procedural changes, and event invitations via our listservs for NIH administrative staff, laboratory sponsors, and foreign national scientists. If you are a member of one of these communities,
contact us to subscribe to the relevant listserv.
Trainings and Events
DIS offers a variety of trainings for administrative staff. We also host orientations and training sessions for scientists on immigration-related topics. Refer to the DIS Calendar for upcoming events.
Frequently Asked Questions
I have arrived at NIH. When can I begin my research
Before you can begin your research, you must check in with DIS. Our office verifies that all visiting scientists were lawfully admitted to the United States in the appropriate immigration status and have the proper work authorization to undertake activities at NIH.
All new arrivals, NIH employee and non-employee categories, must consult our
check-in procedures for further information.
Why do I need to check in with DIS?
DIS must verify that you were lawfully admitted to the United States and are in the appropriate immigration status to undertake activities at NIH.
How do I learn more about my immigration status?
If you are in J-1 or H-1B status, DIS will schedule you for an appropriate orientation during your check-in/EOD. At the orientation, you will learn about your immigration status and how to lawfully maintain it.
If you are unable to attend your scheduled orientation, review our J-1 and H-1B
orientation schedule and
contact DIS to schedule for another available session.
How do I contact DIS with questions about immigration status, immigration-related issues, or cases?
Visit the DIS website to learn out how
contact us.
I am an NIH-sponsored J-1 Exchange Visitor. How do I obtain travel validation signatures?
NIH-sponsored J-1 and J-2 Exchange Visitors should email
DIS@mail.nih.gov to request a travel signature. An Immigration Specialist will process the request and make it available in the DIS Customer Portal. Please allow up to five business days for your request to be processed.
When should I make an appointment?
Generally, it is best to make an appointment with questions that may require more than 15 minutes to address, such as questions about changing your immigration status or NIH designation.
To make an appointment, please refer to the
advising section of the DIS Services page.
Due to the volume of inquiries that we receive, DIS is unable to accept same-day appointment requests (except in the case of a severe emergency).
How do I obtain information about U.S. income taxes?
Information about U.S. income taxes is available on our
Income tax web page.
How do I request copies of immigration documents from my file?
If you require a copy of a current or past immigration document, email
DIS@mail.nih.gov with the request. DIS processing time for a copy request is 10 business days.
How do I check the status of a pending case at DIS?
You may find the status of a pending case by accessing the
DIS Customer Portal .
I am a new administrative staff member at my NIH Institute/Center/Office (ICO). How do I get training about immigration and NIH-related policy issues?
DIS offers training about immigration and NIH-related policy via:
