Tourist & Student Visa Plan : College and Student visa

J1 College and University Student visa

The J1 is a non-immigrant visa issued to a person participating in a United States Exchange Visitor Program, or EVP. The College and Student program is one of the 15 categories of the EVP.

The colorful and diverse EVP is designed for non-Americans to travel within the United States and study or work there as a sponsored exchange visitor while experiencing the local culture. With a J1 College and University visa, a non-US student can visit the United States for periods ranging from a few weeks to several years to study or be part of an internship program.

Every year before the Covid-19 pandemic, approximately 300,000 persons representing 200 countries and territories visit the United States under the aegis of the J1 Exchange Visitor Program. The largest number of exchange visitors is currently hosted by California, followed by New York and Florida. The top three countries from where J1 visa holders come are China, Great Britain and Germany.

The Exchange Visitor Program is visionary — it seeks to promote greater global understanding through educational and cultural exchanges. For this reason, it is expected that exchange visitors will return to their home countries once their exchange program ends and share their cultural and other experiences while in the United States.

What is the J1 College and University Student visa?

As its name suggests, the J1 College and University Student visa is specifically designed for students participating in the College and University EVP. Provided you have recently graduated from a college or university in your home country, the J1 visa gives you a way to pursue a degree or non-degree program at a US academic institution. Alternatively, you could participate in a student internship program that meets an educational requirement of the non-US degree program in which you enrolled.

The J1 visa is similar to the F1 visa, which is also intended for anyone studying in the United States or participating in an exchange program. However, an important difference is that to get a J1 visa, a large or “substantive” part of your funding must be from an external source (such as a sponsor or university) rather than a personal one (such as your family or your own funds). More details about the F1 visa are available here.

Who is eligible for a J1 College and University visa?

The J1 College and University visa is designed for those who are currently studying or have recently graduated. To be eligible to apply for this exchange program, you must have completed a college or university degree or non-degree program in your own country. If you are applying for an internship to satisfy a degree requirement then you must be enrolled in a university or college outside the United States at the time of applying.

A distinctive requirement for eligibility for the J1 visa is that your participation in the exchange program must be funded substantially by sources other than personal or family funds. This could mean that you are funded directly or indirectly by the United States government, your own country’s government, some international organization of which the United States is a member, an institutional sponsor or any other source, as long as it is not personal or family.

How long can you stay in the US with a J1 College and University visa?

As a student entering the United States on a J1 visa under the College and University program, degree students will be allowed to stay through the duration of the course of study. Non-degree students will be allowed to stay for 24 months and student interns for 12 months. In general, seven years is the longest period that a J1 College and University visa holder can stay in the United States.

Covid-related: For most of 2020, all processes related to the issuance of immigrant and non-immigrant visas, including the J1 visa, were either delayed or put on hold as the pandemic resulted in travel bans, work slowdown and consulate closures. Although partial or normal services are beginning to resume in several countries, please check with your J1 visa sponsor regarding specific restrictions and rules that might affect your application and travel.

How do you apply for a J1 College and University visa?

The first step in applying for the J1 is finding a designated sponsor for the College and University student EVP.

You can see a list of 837 designated sponsor organizations here. Go through this list, research different sponsors, make a shortlist and locate and contact your selected sponsors to take part in their College and University exchange program. Once you are accepted by a sponsor, they will guide you through the application process and will function as your main single- point contact through the duration of the exchange program.

The actual application and selection process may vary from sponsor to sponsor, but all of them include the issuance of a Certificate of Eligibility for Exchange Visitor Status by the program sponsor, attesting that you are eligible and have been selected to participate. This certificate, known as Form DS-2019, is a document vital to your visa application.

What documents are required for a J1 visa application?

The following is a minimum list of documents that you must have when you apply for a J1

1. 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.visa —
2. Form DS-7002 (Training/Internship Placement Plan). More information about this is available at the Program page on the ECA website.
3. Passport valid for travel to the United States.
4. Form DS-160. This is a nonimmigrant visa application form that can be completed online here.
5. Fee receipt for the payment of $140 for the visa application.
6. Photograph. A complete description of the format requirements is here.

Please note that you may need 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.

As part of the J1 visa process, the local US Embassy or Consulate will require applicants aged between 14 and 79 to come for an interview.

How much does a J1 College and University visa cost?

There can be up to two parts to the fee for getting a J1 College and University exchange visa

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 College and University visa can seem like an intense process. Locating and contacting a sponsor requires research and you should allocate all the time needed to do a thorough search to find the best possible exchange program that meets your needs.

If you are selected, the sponsor will issue your Form DS-2019, which is necessary for your J1 visa application. Here, once again, your best bet is to be guided by your sponsor at each step of the process.

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 click here to send us an email and we’ll do our best to get back to you within 24 hours with an answer.

For most of 2020, all processes related to the issuance of immigrant and non-immigrant visas, including the J1 visa, were either delayed or put on hold as the pandemic resulted in travel bans, work slowdown and consulate closures. Although partial or normal services are beginning to resume in several countries, please check with your J1 visa sponsor regarding specific restrictions and rules that might affect your application and travel.