Family & Work Visa Plan : Teacher Program J1 visa
The Teacher Program visa gives foreign teachers a great opportunity to teach in accredited American primary and secondary schools while also experiencing the life and culture of the United States.
Teacher Program visa
The J1 is a non-immigrant visa issued to a person participating in a United States Exchange Visitor Program, or EVP. The Teacher program is one of the 15 categories of the EVP.
The EVP is among the most diverse visas for going to the United States and is designed to enable non-Americans to travel within the United States and study or work there as a sponsored exchange visitor while immersing themselves in the local culture. The visionary EVP was created to foster greater understanding between the United States and other countries through educational and cultural exchanges. If you visit the US under the Teacher Program you will be expected to return to your home country after you program ends, unless you are eligible for an extension.
Over 300,000 persons representing 200 countries and territories visited the United States under the aegis of the J1 Exchange Visitor Program every year before the Covid-19 pandemic. Currently California hosts the largest number of exchange visitors, followed by New York and Florida. Internationally, China, Great Britain and Germany are the top three countries from where J1 visa holders come.
The Teacher Program visa gives foreign teachers a great opportunity to teach in accredited American primary and secondary schools while also experiencing the life and culture of the United States.
What is the Teacher Program visa?
The Teacher Program is one of several ways in which a non-US teacher may enter the United States under the J1 visa to teach. The J1 Teacher Program visa allows you to teach in an accredited public, private or chartered primary or secondary American school (K-12), and also pre-kindergarten language immersion and international school programs.
Like all programs in the EVP, this visa requires acceptance by an approved sponsor agency or company. It also requires a prior confirmation of a teaching job at a participating American school.. The sponsoring agency normally helps secure this.
Who is eligible for a J1 Teacher Program visa?
Who is eligible for a J1 Teacher Program visa?
- Be a non-US national already working as a teacher who wants to enter the US for a limited period to teach full time at an accredited primary or secondary school.
- Be a qualified pre-kindergarten, primary or secondary level schoolteacher in your home country or last legal residence at the time of application.
- Have, at minimum, the equivalent of a US bachelor’s degree in education or in the academic subject which you would like to teach.
- Have a minimum of two years of teaching or related professional experience within the last eight years.
- Meet the qualifications for teaching in the US State where you will be teaching.
- Be proficient in the English language.
You should also be able to show that you have enough funds to pay for all your expenses in the United States for the entire program, including housing and living costs, and all transportation costs to and from your home country. In certain cases, you may also be required to pay teacher certification or licensing costs at the US host school, unless there is a written agreement that the host school will pick up this cost.
How long can you stay in the US with a Teacher Program visa?
The J1 visa allows you to teach in the United States for a maximum of three years. However, at the end of the program, you may be eligible to extend your teaching contract for a year or two further.
How do you apply for a Teacher Program J1 visa?
1. Find an approved sponsor: The first step in applying for the Teacher Program J1 visa is finding a designated sponsor. The US Department of State has designated 66 public and private entities to be exchange sponsors and do whatever is needed to help foreign national teachers enter the United States as exchange visitors. Sponsors typically screen and select qualified foreign teachers and oversee their stay in the United States. They also supervise the J1 visa application process and are the main point of contact throughout the Teacher Program process. The sponsor will place exchange teachers at approved host schools.
To see a list of 66 designated and approved Teacher Program sponsor organizations, click here.
2. Apply for the sponsor’s Teacher Program: After researching different sponsors, select one and apply to take part in their Teacher Program. Once you are accepted, the sponsor will start a thorough and extensive process that can last several months and require over a dozen documents.
3. Go through the application process: The sponsor will guide you through the application process and help you meet all the requirements, and also be your main single-point contact throughout your time in the United States. The sponsor will also help you secure a teaching job offer from an approved, qualifying US host school.
4. Get a DS-2019 Certificate of Eligibility for Exchange Visitor Status: The actual application and selection process may vary from sponsor to sponsor but all of them include a Certificate of Eligibility for Exchange Visitor Status issued by the program sponsor, attesting that you are eligible and have been selected to participate. This certificate, known as Form DS-2019, is vital to your visa application.
5. Pay the program fees: This amount, payable to the sponsoring agency, can be as high as $2,500 and covers program administration costs, health and travel insurance and the charges for entering your details in the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) database, which is normally about $220. The entire sum will be refunded to you if you should change your mind for any reason.
However, since these fees are variable and sponsor-specific, it is strongly recommended that you check with your sponsor what is included in the program fees.
6. Apply for a J1 non-immigrant visa: This is a nonimmigrant visa application form that can be completed online here.
7. Book an interview appointment with the US consulate.
What documents are required for a J1 visa application?
The following is a minimum list of documents that you must carry to the interview.
- Passport: Valid for at least 6 months after the end date of your program.
- Form DS-2019 (Certificate of Eligibility for Exchange Visitor Status). This will be issued by your program sponsor once you have been accepted into an exchange program.
- SEVIS fee payment confirmation. This is normally $220. The sponsor may require you to pay this, or pay it themselves and share the confirmation document with you.
- Form DS-160 submission confirmation page.
- Receipt for $160 paid as the DS-160 J1 non-immigrant visa application fee.
- Photograph. A complete description of the format requirements is here.
- Consulate appointment confirmation.
Please note that you may be asked to furnish other documents to the sponsor as part of their selection process. These requirements may vary from sponsor to sponsor and from country to country.
How much does a Teacher Program J1 visa cost?
There can be up to three parts to the fee for getting a Teacher Program J1 visa —
Program fees: This is a sum which can vary from sponsor to sponsor and country to country, and be as high as $2,500. It is paid to the sponsor agency to cover program administration costs, health and travel insurance and the charges for entering your details in the SEVIS database. Again, since this may vary from sponsor to sponsor, it is a good idea to ask your sponsor what is specifically included in the program fees.
Non-Immigrant Visa Application processing fee: This is currently US$ 160 but may be subject change. Check with the local US Embassy or Consulate for up-to-date fees.
Visa Issuance fee: In some countries, an additional Visa Issuance fee may be charged when the visa is issued. Check with the local US Embassy or Consulate for up-to-date fees.
Applying for a J1 SWTP visa is not an intense process but it may require patience and attention to detail. Once you have found a suitable sponsor and been accepted into the exchange program, you will receive all the guidance and support you need from your sponsor in securing your J1 SWTP visa.
Check out all your other teacher visa options
The J1 visa is only one of many visa options before a non-US teacher who wants to enter the US to teach. The J1 Teacher Program visa includes a Home Residency Requirement, which requires you to be resident in your home country for two years before re-entering the US with any other visa. If this feels restrictive, you should explore all the other visa options at your disposal and pick the one most relevant for your needs.
Need more help?
If you still feel that you would like to have professional help in making your application or would like to consult a lawyer who specializes in immigration and visa matters, click here to see some of your options, including how to access our exclusive list of professional immigration lawyers.
If you have questions or would like clarifications, please send us an email and we’ll do our best to get back to you within 24 hours with an answer
Teachers were prohibited from trying to enter the USA under the J1 Teacher Program visa under Proclamation 10052, titled Proclamation Suspending Entry of Aliens Who Present a Risk to the U.S. Labor Market Following the Coronavirus Outbreak.
The proclamation, which suspended entry into the United States of any non-US national with a J1 visa under a Teacher Program, among several others, became effective from June 24, 2020. The proclamation expired on March 31, 2021 and has been neither renewed nor replaced by the Biden administration. Visa applicants who were previously refused visas due to the restrictions of Presidential Proclamation 10052 are asked to reapply by submitting a new application including a new fee
Please check with your nearest US Embassy or Consulate for up-to-date information.