USA Government Visitor Program
Through the USA Government Visitor program, distinguished international visitors from all over the world develop and strengthen professional and personal relationships with the USA Federal, State, or Local Government Agencies. The J-1 Exchange Visitor Program provides opportunities for 300,000 foreign visitors from 200 countries per year to engage with Americans.
USA Government Visitor Program – How Chi-Won Park became a super-diplomat
Chi-Won Park had no doubt that he was going to be a national figure in South Korea one day. His parents and friends knew it. His father, a senior government official in the Ministry of Agriculture, hoped that he might become another Oscar-winning Korean film-maker. Or perhaps a K-Pop sensation.
No one was quite prepared for Chi-Won’s announcement that he planned to become an editor and set new standards for integrity and accuracy in journalism. As soon as he finished school, he did a simple Bachelor of Arts course and then headed into a school of communication, where he topped his batch.
Chi-Won was soon making waves, first for his investigative writing but soon for his commitment and integrity. He had an uncanny knack for knowing exactly where to find the truth — and also knew exactly what to ask and say to expose falsehoods. Many people thought he should participate in international forums that promote ethical journalism.
Chi-Won himself wanted to visit the USA and meet professionals and communicators there. But how? You can’t just travel to the USA and start meeting diplomats, surely?
Chi-Won’s father quietly began having conversations with his friends and counterparts in the US Department of Agriculture (USDA). Did anyone know anyone who knew someone who could help? Pretty soon, Chi-Won’s luck opened. A contact in the US Department of State had the perfect idea for Chi-Won.
One day there was a surprise in the mail — a letter from the United States Department of State inviting him to visit the USA to attend an international convention of communicators called Truth-Telling for A Better Future. If he was interested, then a sponsor, named in the letter, would see if he was eligible for joining something called the USA Government Visitor Program, and help him get a J-1 Visa.
The USA Government Visitor Program is one of 15 categories under a unique American initiative called the Exchange Visitor Program (EVP). If he was accepted into the USA Government Visitor Program, Chi-Won could enter the United States on a J-1 Visa for a period no longer than 18 months to carry out a pre-planned and approved list of activities, such as, observation tours, discussions, consultations, professional meetings, govement conferences, workshops and travel with the US Government; Through meetings and interactions with their American counterparts in federal, state or local government agencies, they could develop and strengthen professional and personal relationships.
Chi-Won said an immediate yes, of course. He spent eight months in the United States, attending the conference but then visiting leading American newspapers and networks, building a professional network that would stand him in good stead in his future.
You can get more information on the USA Government Visitor Program and its J-1 Visa from the detailed, user-friendly visa guides you get when you buy one of our Visa Plans. Please bear in mind that unlike other EVP programs, the USA Government Visitor Program is the exclusive domain of the US Department of State, who alone can select participants and issue invitations.
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.