The J-1 visa, or Exchange Visitor Visa, is designed to foster cultural exchange between the U.S. and other countries. If you’re going to the U.S. temporarily to work, train, intern, or teach, the J-1 visa could be a good fit.

To get a J-1 visa, you’ll need to be sponsored by an approved program sponsor and meet certain eligibility requirements, like demonstrating you have sufficient financial resources to support yourself in the U.S.

J-1 Visa Categories

The J-1 visa has 15 different categories, including:

1. Au Pair
2. Camp Counselor
3. College and University Student
4. Secondary School Student
5. Government Visitor
6. International Visitor
7. Physician
8. Professor
9. Research Scholar
10. Short-Term Scholar
11. Specialist
12. Summer Work Travel
13. Teacher
14. Trainee
15. Intern

Each category comes with different durations of visit and eligibility requirements. We’ve included below a handy guide from the Department of State:

Click to access Exchange-Visitor-Program-Category-Requirements.pdf

How do I find a J-1 sponsor?

BridgeUSA provides a list of J-1 sponsors, which you can filter by programme, here: https://j1visa.state.gov/participants/how-to-apply/sponsor-search/

The Two-year Home Residence Requirement

The J-1 has one slight catch. At the end of the programme, some J-1 visa holders have to return to their home country for two years after completing their program of study or period of authorized stay in J-1 status.

You may be subject to the two-year home residence requirement if (1) your occupation is on your home country’s skills list; (2) you received government funding (your own government’s, or America’s) for your stay in the U.S., or (3) you’re a physician engaged in graduate medical training in the USA.

The J-1 visa application process

1. Apply for an exchange visitor program through a pre-approved organisation in the U.S.
2. Get accepted into a qualifying program, ensuring you are registered in the SEVIS (Student and Exchange Visitor System).
3. Complete a DS-2019 form.
4. If you’re participating in the Trainee and Intern categories, you’ll also need the DS-7002 form.
5. Pay the SEVIS I-901 fee (if applicable)
6. Apply for a visa (Form DS-160)
7. Ensure you have valid required documents (including a 2×2 in. photo and valid passport)
8. Attend interview at the U.S. Embassy

The J-2 Visa

The J-2 Visa is a nonimmigrant visa for spouses and dependents (unmarried children under the age of 21) of J-1 exchange visitors who accompany or later join the J-1 holder in the United States.

Eligibility will depend on the specific exchange program being offered to the J-1 non-immigrant by a sponsor organizations. If you’re an au pair, camp counselor, secondary school student and summer work travel, those categories do not permit for J-2 visas.

The good news is that in most cases, a J-2 visa holder can seek employment, for which they will need to obtain an Employment Authorization Document (EAD). Money earned by a J-2 must not be used to support the J-1 visa holder.

The application procedure is the same as that for a primary visa applicant. The sponsor must approve the accompaniment of the spouse and/or children who will each be issued their own Form DS-2019.

J-1 Visa FAQs

1. How long can I stay in the U.S. on a J-1 visa?

This will depend on which type of activity you’ve been authorised for. For example, if you’re doing Camp America, your period of stay will only be a few months, whereas those engaged in academic studies may get up to a few years.

2. Can I work in the U.S. on a J-1 visa?

Only if you’re performing the activity on your DS-2019 and those activities adhere to the regulations for that J-1 category of exchange. Check with your sponsoring organisation for information.

3. When can I enter the U.S. on my J-1 visa?

No more than 30 days before your start date.

4. How long can I stay in the U.S. once the program ends?

Up to 30 days at the end of the program.

5. I want to go to the U.S. to study. What are the differences between a J-1 visa and an F-1 visa?

The BridgeUSA website states:

Both F-1 and J-1 visas may permit international students to study at a college or university in the United States. However, there are key differences between the two programs.

F-1 Visas

An F-1 student’s primary purpose for coming to the United States is to complete a full-time program of study at any grade level at a Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP)-certified school. For many F-1 students, this program of study is a postsecondary education at an SEVP-certified college or university.

Because studying is an F-1 student’s primary purpose, students with F-1 visas must be enrolled in a full course of study while in the United States and must follow the rules to maintain their F-1 student status.

While studying in the United States, F-1 students have a designated school official (DSO) at their college or university. This DSO can help guide them through the international student life cycle and make sure they maintain their status.

J-1 Visas

The J-1 College and University Student Program is one of the 15 J-1 program categories. J-1 university or college students must pursue a full course of study only at a postsecondary, accredited academic institution in the United States to maintain their J-1 status. The J-1 College and University Student Program offers study in all fields and opportunities to gain important career-related training as a student intern in a program that will fulfill the educational objectives for the student’s degree program in their home country.

J-1 university or college students, like all J-1 visa holders, have a cultural component to their program in addition to their academic work. This component gives J-1 students an opportunity to engage more fully with U.S. citizens and share their cultures with their U.S. host communities.

J-1 university or college students coordinate with the designated program sponsor’s Responsible Officer. Program sponsors are organizations designated by the U.S. Department of State’s Office of Private Sector Exchange. These program sponsors monitor the health, safety and welfare of J-1 students throughout their program and ensure they are pursuing a full course of study at a U.S. postsecondary, accredited academic institution and maintaining their status.

The University of California, Berkeley also has this to say on that subject.