SafeJ1Many people do not keep complete records of their travels. However, future U.S. applications may require information about previous visits. These records are especially important if you may work or live in the United States again.
Your archive
What to keep
- Copies of every passport used for U.S. travel, including pages with admission stamps
- Your J-1 visa and any other U.S. visas
- Every Form DS-2019
- Your SEVIS ID number
- Your Social Security card
- Your program sponsor’s name, program number, address, website, phone number, and email address
- A history of U.S. addresses, including city, street, unit or apartment, and dates of residence
- Tax documents, including Forms W-2 and 1042-S and other wage or tax statements
- Banking and financial-account records: institution, account type, account number, date opened, and date closed
Keep enough information to identify an old account later. Store complete account numbers only inside the encrypted archive—not in an ordinary note, email, or photo gallery.
Secure storage
How to protect the archive
Create digital copies
Scan the documents and records into readable PDF files. Use clear filenames and organize them by category or year.
Keep two encrypted copies
Maintain a primary encrypted archive you can access and a separate encrypted backup in another secure location.
Use strong access protection
Protect each archive with a strong, unique password. Turn on multi-factor authentication for cloud-storage and email accounts.
Avoid unsafe sharing
Do not email the complete archive to yourself as an unprotected attachment. Do not store sensitive documents in an ordinary photo gallery or unprotected messaging application.
Keep it private
Do not share document photographs with strangers or post them on social media.
Do not lose access to your own archive. Store recovery information separately and make sure at least one backup remains available if you replace a phone, close an email account, or move to another country.