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I am a J1 postdoc - and also of child bearing age!
My current institution offers postdocs 6 weeks paid maternity and 6 weeks unpaid maternity leave. Not ideal (UK institutions are pretty generous!) but part of training here I guess!
However there was a note that advised international postdocs to contact the visa office as this may not apply.
The response from the visa office was "How long a time will you be taking the Maternity leave? A j-1 Scholar must be pursuing the J-1 activities the entire duration of their program here. The only time off is for a vacation, or travel to conferences or for research." This seems to suggest that I am not entitled to any of the benefits of a typical postdoc and simply exhaust all my vacation and sick days (about 5 weeks) before having to return to work so I do not violate my immigration status.
Has anyone been in this situation previously? Currently I'm trying to figure out ways to work from home (if my PI allows this) or have my husband (a J2 visa holder) take FMLA from his employment.
Any advice?
My current institution offers postdocs 6 weeks paid maternity and 6 weeks unpaid maternity leave. Not ideal (UK institutions are pretty generous!) but part of training here I guess!
However there was a note that advised international postdocs to contact the visa office as this may not apply.
The response from the visa office was "How long a time will you be taking the Maternity leave? A j-1 Scholar must be pursuing the J-1 activities the entire duration of their program here. The only time off is for a vacation, or travel to conferences or for research." This seems to suggest that I am not entitled to any of the benefits of a typical postdoc and simply exhaust all my vacation and sick days (about 5 weeks) before having to return to work so I do not violate my immigration status.
Has anyone been in this situation previously? Currently I'm trying to figure out ways to work from home (if my PI allows this) or have my husband (a J2 visa holder) take FMLA from his employment.
Any advice?
