Exchange Visitors Visas
Financial Resources
Scholastic Preparation
Medical Education and Training
Forms/Petitions
Admission through a U.S. Port of Entry
Student and Exchange Visitors Program on the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) website
Exchange Visitors Visas
The Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) provides two nonimmigrant
visa categories for persons to participate in exchange visitor
programs in the United States. The "J" visa is for educational
and cultural exchange programs designated by the Department of State, Bureau of Consular Affairs, and the "Q" visa is for international
cultural exchange programs designated by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
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 coming for the purpose of traveling, observing, consulting,
conducting 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
and employment, and the sharing of the history, culture, and traditions
of the participant's home country in the United States.
BACKGROUND REQUIREMENTS
Financial Resources
Participants in the "J"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. "Q"
exchange visitors will be paid by their employing sponsor at the
same rate paid to local domestic workers similarly employed.
Scholastic Preparation
"J" 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. The "Q"
exchange visitor must be at least 18 years old and be able to
communicate effectively about the cultural attributes of his or
her country.
Medical Education and Training
Exchange visitors coming under the "J"
program for graduate medical education or training must meet
certain special requirements. These requirements include passing
the Foreign Medical Graduate Examination in Medical Sciences,
demonstrating competency in English, being automatically subject
to the two-year foreign residence requirement (after completion
of their program), 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 conducting research in which there is little or no
patient care are not subject to the above requirements.
Forms/Petitions
Participants in the "J" program
must present a Form DS-2019 Certificate of Eligibility for Exchange
Visitor (J-1) Status prepared by a designated sponsoring organization.
Participants in the "Q" program
must have the designated sponsoring organization file Form
I-129, Petition for Nonimmigrant Worker, with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). For more details on how to file
for a Q petition, please see the Temporary Workers section.
Admission through a U.S. Port of Entry
Applicants should be aware that a visa does not guarantee entry
into the United States. The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has authority to deny admission.
Also, the CBP, not the Department of State Consular Officer, determines
the period for which the bearer of an exchange visitor visa is
authorized to stay in the United States. At the port of entry,
a CBP official stamps and endorses Form I-94, Record of Arrival-Departure,
specifying the period of time that the alien is authorized to stay in the United States.
Click to find out more information about the differences
between a visa and a Record of Arrival-Departure.
For information on Visa Application Procedures and other
related information about exchange visitors, please visit the
Visa Services
Website of the Department of State.
Student and Exchange Visitors Program (SEVP)
Also see Sec.
641 of the Illegal Immigration
Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act (IIRIRA) of 1996 (Pub.
L. 104-208).
Section 641 of IIRIRA is one of the catalysts behind a
new interagency initiative, the Student and Exchange Visitors Program (SEVP).
SEVP is designed to improve processes for foreign
students and exchange visitors holding F, J and M visas, and schools,
colleges and other organizations sponsoring programs for these
visa holders.
SEVP will facilitate and automate several processes affecting
exchange visitors, such as:
- Visa issuance
- admissions to the U.S.;
- benefit requests; and
- information reporting.
Visit the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS)
Website on the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement website.