Types of Visas
Exchange Visitors
General Information
The "J" Exchange Visitor Program is designed to promote the interchange of persons, 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 going to the United States for the purpose of travel, observation, consultation, research, training, sharing, or demonstrating specialized knowledge or skills, or participating in organized people-to-people programs.
The "Q" international cultural exchange program is for the purpose of providing practical training, employment, and the sharing of the history, culture, and traditions of the participant's home country in the United States.
Special Requirements
Scholastic Preparation
"J" exchange visitors must have sufficient scholastic preparation and knowledge of the English language to enable them to undertake a full course of study in the institution of learning or other place of study at which they have been accepted. If an applicant's knowledge of English is inadequate to enable him/her to pursue a full course of study, he/she must submit documentation that special arrangements have been made for English language tutoring by the receiving institution.
The "Q" exchange visitor must be 18 years old and be able to communicate effectively about the cultural attributes of his or her country.
Medical Education and Training
Exchange visitors participating in the "J" program for graduate medical education or training must meet certain special requirements. These requirements include: having passed the Foreign Medical Graduate Examination in Medical Sciences, demonstrating English competency, being willing to fulfill the two-year foreign residence requirement (upon completion of studies), and agreeing to the time limitations based on the duration of their program. Physicians going 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.
If you are planning to study in the U.S. under the J visa category, you must pay an initial fee to register with the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS). Please visit http://www.ice.gov/sevis/i901/index.htm for information on paying the fee online, through Western Union or normal mail. All J visa applicants must present their I-901 SEVIS fee receipt at the time of their visa interview.