The J-1 visa is for people who want to join programs in the United States where they work, study, or exchange skills. These programs are run by schools or nonprofits approved by the U.S. government.
People with J-1 visas come to the U.S. to teach, learn, get trained, or show off special talents. It’s mainly for students who need hands-on training not offered in their home country, and it has to be related to their studies.
1. Au Pair
The Au Pair program lets young people aged 18 to 26 from other countries work as babysitters for American families. They get a place to stay, food, and some money in return. Their main job is taking care of the kids, but they also get free time to enjoy themselves.
To qualify for this program, you need to be between 18 and 26 years old, healthy, have experience with kids, speak English, finish high school, not smoke if the family doesn’t want you to, have a clean record, and have a driver’s license with some driving experience.
You also have to be okay with living away from home for a year and never worked as an au pair in the US before.
You might need to talk to the program organizers in your home country and have some interviews with American families over the phone. Before you start, you’ll get at least 32 hours of training in childcare.
While you’re in the US, you can’t work more than 10 hours a day or 45 hours a week taking care of the kids. You also have to take some classes at a college or something similar.
Your job includes things like taking kids to school, helping with homework, keeping their rooms tidy, and making easy meals for them.
The family you work for should help you pay for your classes, provide you with your own room and meals, and pay you fairly for your work, following the law.
2. Camp Counselor
The Camp Counselor program lets students and young workers from other countries work at American summer camps. To qualify, you need to:
- Speak and understand English.
- Be good at dealing with kids.
- Be at least 18 years old.
- Be a student, youth worker, teacher, or have special skills.
As a camp counselor, you’ll get free housing and meals from the camp you work for. You’ll also get paid and get benefits similar to American counselors.
You might have to do other tasks sometimes, but you can’t do jobs like office work, cooking, or cleaning. You can work for up to four months, but you can’t stay longer.
3. College and University Student Program
This program lets students from other countries study in American colleges and universities. To be part of it, students need to study full-time and do well in their classes. They might also do an internship related to their degree back home.
Students in this program must get money from sources like the US government, their home country’s government, or international organizations linked to the US, not from their own or family funds.
The program follows an agreement between the US and the student’s home country, or between American and foreign schools, or between an American school and a foreign government, or a US state or city government and a foreign government.
4. Government Visitor Program
In this program, important guests from other countries, picked by a US government group, come to America. They come here to build strong connections with Americans, both in their work and personal lives.
They do this by visiting different places, having talks, attending meetings, joining conferences, taking part in workshops, traveling, and getting trained.
5. Secondary School Student Program
This program lets high school students come to the US to study in a public or private high school while living with a host family or at a boarding school.
To join, students must be between 15 and 18.5 years old when school starts. They shouldn’t have finished more than 11 years of school (not counting kindergarten), and they can’t have done this kind of exchange program in the US before.
Students can join in school activities, but they need permission from the school district and state office if they want to do sports. They can’t work a regular job, but they can do things like babysitting or yard work sometimes. They can’t live with family in the US, and they have to leave after one school year.
6. International Visitor Program
This group is for programs where people from different countries and Americans meet up to build stronger friendships and professional connections. To join, you have to be a leader or have the potential to be one in a specific area. The US government picks who can participate.
7. Physician Program
This program lets doctors from other countries join training programs or schools in the US to become better doctors.
To join, these foreign doctors need to have the right education and training for the program they’re applying for. Further, they need to be good at speaking and writing in English.
They must have passed certain medical exams, and their home country’s government must say there’s a need for the skills they want to learn. They also need an agreement from the US school or hospital where they’ll be studying.
Some programs let foreign doctors come to the US to observe, teach, or do research. These programs are run by specific US universities or medical centers approved by the US government.
The doctors must be supervised by a licensed US doctor and can’t take full responsibility for treating patients. Their experience won’t count toward getting certified to practice medicine in the US.
8. Professor and Research Scholar Program
This program lets people do research, teach, and give talks at American schools. It’s about sharing ideas and connecting schools in the US with ones in other countries. People can do this for up to five years.
But there are some rules. You can’t be trying to get a permanent teaching job. Also, you can’t have finished a teaching or research program in the last two years before starting this one, and you can’t have been in a J-visa program in the year before that. There are three times when these rules don’t apply:
- If you’re moving to another US school to keep doing your current J-1 program.
- If you were in the US on a J-1 visa for less than six months.
- If you were here as a short-term scholar.
- You need to have the right education and skills to do what you’re coming to the US for, and you need to be good enough at English to handle being in an English-speaking place.
There are two types of programs: one for teaching (professor) and one for doing research (research scholar). The professor one is for people who want to teach, give talks, or advise at colleges, museums, libraries, or similar places in the US.
The research scholar one is for people who want to do research or advise on research projects at research centers, companies, museums, libraries, colleges, or similar places in the US.
9. Short-term Scholar Program
This program lets smart people like professors or researchers go to places like universities, museums, or libraries in the US. They can teach, learn, give advice, or show off their skills.
The program lasts a maximum of six months, with no chance to extend it or switch to a different type of program. Normally, it requires at least three weeks, but for this program, that rule doesn’t apply.
If someone has already been in the US as a professor or researcher, they can’t come back right away as a short-term scholar with the same sponsor. But they can come back later, after a good break, without waiting for the usual waiting times.
10. Specialist Program
This program lets smart people who are really good at something come to the US to share what they know with American experts. They can stay for one year, but they can’t take a permanent job while they’re here.
The program covers things like teaching, environmental science, media, museums, government work, and libraries.
11. Summer Work Travel Program
This program lets college students go to the US for summer jobs and travel. To join, you need to speak English well, be a college student outside the US, and have finished at least one semester of study. You also need a job offer in the US, unless you’re from a visa waiver country.
The program lasts up to 4 months and happens during summer break. Participants often work at places like resorts, hotels, restaurants, or amusement parks.
They can also work in other places like architectural firms, legal offices, or scientific research centers. If you don’t have a job lined up, you need enough money to support yourself while you look for one.
12. Teacher Program
This program allows teachers from other countries to come to the US and teach in elementary and high schools for up to three years.
To join this program, a teacher must have the right qualifications to teach in their home country, at least three years of teaching experience, meet the teaching standards of the US state where they want to work, and be good at speaking English.
Teachers in this program will learn how to teach in the US while sharing their ideas from their home countries. They need to get recommendations from their coworkers and bosses to show that they are good at teaching and have a good character.
Once they get a job offer from a US school and accept it, they’ll get a form that shows where they’ll be teaching. They can only teach at that school.
13. Trainee Program
These programs help people from other countries learn about how businesses work in the US. To join, you need to be from another country and have either a degree or certificate from a school there, plus a year of work experience in your field, or five years of work experience in the field you want training in.
You also need to prove you can speak English, be at least 20 years old, and may need to do an interview or take a test.
People who join might work in areas like farming, arts, construction, education, health care, tourism, media, business, law, or science.
14. Intern Program
These programs let people from other countries come to the US to learn and get experience in their job field.
If you want to be an intern, you have to be from another country and either be studying at a school outside the US or have graduated from one within the last year. You need to be at least 18 years old and prove you can speak English well.
You can do this by taking a test, getting a letter from your school, or doing an interview with the organization sponsoring your internship either in person or over video.
15. Working Outside the Program
Usually, people with J-1 visas have to work for the organizations that sponsor their program. But sometimes, they can work for other employers if they meet certain rules. The rules are different depending on the program they’re in.
J-1 students can work on their school’s campus if it’s part of a scholarship, fellowship, or assistantship. They can also work off-campus if they’re part of a summer work/travel program, or if they have sudden money problems since getting their J-1 visa.
To work, students need to have good grades, and they can’t work more than 20 hours a week, except during breaks.
16. J-2 Visa
The J-2 visa is for the husband, wife, or kids of someone who’s in the U.S. on a J-1 visa for exchange programs. Whether you can get a J-2 visa depends on the program the J-1 person is in. Some programs don’t allow it.
To apply for a J-2 visa, you follow the same steps as for a J-1 visa. The program sponsor has to agree for the spouse or child to come along, and they get their own Form DS-2019.
Usually, a J-2 visa holder can work in the U.S., but they need permission first. They can’t use the money they earn to support the J-1 visa holder.
FAQs
1. What is a J-1 Visa Exchange Program?
A J-1 Visa Exchange Program is a cultural exchange initiative overseen by the U.S. Department of State, facilitating educational and cultural exchanges between individuals from around the world and American institutions.
2. Who can participate in J-1 Visa Exchange Programs?
Eligibility varies depending on the specific program, but generally, students, scholars, researchers, and professionals can participate in J-1 Visa Exchange Programs.
3. What are the benefits of participating in a J-1 Visa Exchange Program for education?
Participants get the chance to immerse themselves in American culture, gain valuable academic or professional experience, and develop intercultural understanding and skills.
4. How do I apply for a J-1 Visa Exchange Program?
The application process typically involves applying through a sponsoring organization designated by the U.S. Department of State, meeting program requirements, obtaining a Form DS-2019, and applying for a J-1 visa at a U.S. embassy or consulate.
5. Can I work while on a J-1 Visa Exchange Program?
Yes, participants may be eligible for employment opportunities related to their program objectives, but there are restrictions and regulations to adhere to.