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If you are going to the US as part of an officially approved program sponsored by an educational or other nonprofit institution apply for an exchange visitor (J-1) visa. These programs include post graduate students, medical students coming to the United States as residents or interns, foreign scholars sponsored by universities as temporary faculty, and some business trainees. In addition, there are several exchange visitor programs for young people, including summer employment programs, intern programs for university students, and au-pair programs.

These programs are designated by the State Department's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, and are the principal vehicle through which U.S.-Japan exchange programs are run.

To obtain an exchange visitor visa you must demonstrate:

• acceptance into a designated exchange visitor program, which will issue you an SEVIS (Student and Exchange Visitor Information System) compliant form DS-2019 "Certificate of Eligibility". It is completed and sent to you by the sponsoring organization in the United States. It will bear a "program number,", have a bar code on the right-hand side and must be completed in full. You must have this form in order to receive your visa. Remember that the DS-2019 is not a visa. If you arrive in the US with the DS-2019, but no exchange visitor visa, you will not be allowed to enter the US and will be returned to Japan.
• sufficient funds to cover your expenses. If the sponsoring organization in the United States or your organization in Japan will pay your expenses, please bring a letter of support from them.
• adequate English language skills
• strong ties to the country in which you are applying for the visa and indications that you will leave the United States upon completion of your program. These factors must be established to the satisfaction of the consular officer. Since cases will vary widely, there is no set list of what documents to submit.

Important Notice: As former exchange visitor, you may not be issued an immigrant, fiancé(e), temporary worker or intracompany transferee visa until you have resided and been physically present in your country of nationality or last residence for at least two years following the completion of your exchange visitor program if one or more of the following conditions applies:

• The program was financed by the United States government or the government of your country of nationality or last residence; or
• You are a national or resident of a country which the Secretary of State has designated as clearly requiring the services of people in the field of specialized knowledge or skills in which you were engaged during the exchange visitor program (no skills are listed as being required for Japan); or
• You are a physician who entered the United States to receive medical education or training (except for programs involving exclusively teaching research or consultation).

Application Procedures: For information on the documents required to apply for a exchange visitor visa, pleas see our application checklist.

Please note that because of new security regulations, some applications may require an additional clearance and longer processing. Since the application process cannot be accelerated, please apply well in advance of your travel date, and do not purchase plane tickets until you have received your visa. Applicants should refrain from calling the Embassy merely to inquire about the status of their application. Visa applicants should never assume their application would be automatically approved.

Visas for family members:

Frequently Asked Questions