Exchange Visitor Visas

Many different types of activities can be done using a J-1 Exchange Visitor visa. Generally, the category is designed to promote the interchange of people, knowledge, and skills in the fields of education, arts, and sciences. Participants include students at all academic levels; trainees obtaining on-the-job training with firms, institutions, and agencies; teachers of primary, secondary, and specialized schools; professors coming to teach or do research at institutions of higher learning; research scholars; professional trainees in the medical and allied fields; and international visitors coming for the purpose of travel, observation, consultation, research, training, sharing, or demonstrating specialized knowledge or skills, or participating in organized people-to-people programs.

Getting a J-1 visa is a two-step process. First, a sponsoring organization in the United States has to issue you a Form DS-2019 Certificate of Eligibility for Exchange Visitor (J-1) Status. Most universities and some businesses have the authority to do this, but if your sponsor does not, you will need to go through an intermediary organization which does have the authority to issue DS-2019s. Click here to find out more about Exchange Visitor programs, including lists of possible sponsoring companies and organizations.

Requirements for Getting an Exchange Visitor Visa

Financial Resources

Participants in the exchange visitor program must have sufficient funds to cover all expenses, or funds must be provided by the sponsoring organization in the form of a scholarship or other stipend.

Scholastic Preparation

Exchange visitors must have sufficient scholastic preparation to participate in the designated program, including knowledge of the English language, or the exchange program must be designed to accommodate non-English speaking participants.

Special requirement for applicants coming for Medical Education and Training

Exchange visitors coming under the J program for graduate medical education or training must meet certain special requirements. They include having passed the Foreign Medical Graduate Examination in Medical Sciences, demonstrating competency in English, being automatically subject to the two-year foreign residence requirement (later), and being subject to time limits on the duration of their program. Physicians coming to the United States on exchange visitor programs for the purpose of observation, consultation, teaching, or research in which there is little or no patient care are not subject to the above requirements.

Residence Abroad (Non-immigrant Intent)

As with Student visas and most other types of non-immigrant visas, to qualify for Exchange Visitor visas applicants must demonstrate to the satisfaction of the Consular officer who conducts their interview that they have a residence outside the United States to which they intend to return after the end of their programs.

SEVIS

The program sponsor must report to the Department of State that you have been accepted to participate in a program there by entering your data into the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS). See this page for more information about SEVIS.

Required Documents

In addition to the documents listed in How To Apply, applicants for Exchange Visitor visas must also provide form DS-2019 “Certificate of Eligibility for Exchange Visitor (J-1) Status” obtained from the program sponsor in the United States.

Recommended Supplemental Documents

Evidence of Financial Resources

All J-1 visa applicants must demonstrate that they have financial resources sufficient for their expenses in the United States or are earning a wage from the program which will cover their expenses. This evidence may include:

• Exchange Program Stipends: Evidence from the program sponsor that they will pay you a stipend sufficient to cover your expenses in the United States.
  
• Personal savings: Bank books or monthly statements showing your current assets and recent transactions.
  
• Sponsorship: Sponsors should provide evidence of their assets and income, including current bank statements, and documents showing possession of real property.
  

A detailed written description of the objectives and content of the exchange program, including a specific training program if the position includes any on-the-job training.

Recommended Supplemental Documents Science and Technology Program Participants

Applicants who hope to pursue a program in the United States related to science or technology should also bring the following additional documents with them to the interview:

• Résumé or CV
  
• Complete list of publications, if applicable
  
• Letter from the program sponsor; if you will be at a school or university, the letter should preferably be from the department where you will work
  

Frequently Asked Questions About Exchange Visitor Visas

Could I go to the United States with a B1/B2 Business/Tourist visa for my exchange program?

Most training programs and internships do not meet the regulations for a B1/B2 visa travel. Only applicants who fall into one of the following categories can use a B1/B2 visa for training in the U.S. (all others need a J visa or else a temporary worker visa):

Category 1: Trainees sent by their current employer to their U.S. office

• The applicant must be a regular employee of a local (China-based) company, visiting a parent, subsidiary or sister company of their Chinese employer in the U.S.
  
• The trainee’s salary, travel costs, and living expenses must be paid by the China office, not the U.S. office
  
• The program must entail only instruction and cannot include “on-the-job” experience.
• The trip must last less than 6 months.

Category 2: Self-funded training programs with a U.S. company or organization

• The applicant must pay all expenses for his or her program. No salary, travel or living expenses may be provided by either the U.S. company where the training is held or a corporate sponsor or educational institution in the applicant’s home country
  
• The program must entail only instruction and cannot include “on-the-job” experience.
  
• The trip must last less than 6 months.
  

May I work in the United States on an exchange program?

Employment while in "J" exchange visitor status depends upon the terms of the program. Participants in programs which provide for on-the-job training, teaching, research, or other activities which involve paid employment may accept such employment. Participants in programs which do not involve work may not accept outside employment.

How soon can I arrive in the United States?

If you are starting a new exchange program (one you have not been participating in for some time), you can arrive no earlier than 30 days before the start/report date as shown on the DS-2019 form. Please consider this date carefully when making travel plans to the United States. The 30-day limitation does not apply to exchange visitors returning to resume a program; they may enter the United States at any time.

How long may I stay in the United States? Do I have to leave when my visa expires?

When you enter the United States on a J-1 visa, you will usually be admitted for the duration of your status as an Exchange Visitor—this is often abbreviated "D/S" in your passport. This means you may stay until the end-of-program date as shown on your DS-2019 form even if the J-1visa in your passport expires.

If your visa has expired and you need to travel abroad, you will need to apply for a new visa at a U.S. Embassy or Consulate while you are abroad so that you can re-enter the United States and continue your program.

After you complete the program shown on your DS-2019, you will have a 30-day grace period to travel or visit friends before you have to leave the United States.

What is the Foreign Residency Requirement?

J exchange visitors who participate in programs which are financed in any degree by an gency of the U.S. Government or by the exchange visitor's government, or who are nationals or residents of a country which has been designated by the Exchange Visitor Program and Designation Staff as requiring the skills of the exchange visitor, must return to their country of nationality or last residence after completing their program in the United States and reside there physically for two years before they may become eligible to apply for an immigrant or temporary worker visa.

My family member plans to accompany or join me while I am participating in an exchange program in the United States. Is he or she eligible, and what visa does he or she need?

Only spouses and children of J-1 exchange program visa holders are eligible for derivative (J-2) visas. Parents and other family members are NOT eligible for J-2 visas. They may visit a J-1 holder for a temporary period of time if they apply for and receive a tourist visa.
Spouses and children, whether accompanying or following to join a student, should submit a visa application with a recent photograph for each person. Spouses and children must present a copy of their marriage certificate or birth certificate, respectively. Each dependent joining a exchange program participant already in the United States must produce his or her own DS-2019.

Where can I get more information?

For information about non-immigrant visas, please see the non-immigrant visa section of the U.S. Department of State’s Consular affairs website. If you have a specific question about your case, please e-mail the Chengdu consular section.