J-1 Visa for Researchers and Professors

The J-1 visa allows foreign nationals who want to lecture, teach or perform research in the U.S. to do so for up to five years as “exchange visitors.” To be eligible for a J-1 visa, you must have a sponsor organization — usually the company or educational institution that will be employing you in the U.S. Sponsor organizations are designated by the U.S. government and after you have accepted employment at a sponsor organization, they will work with you to help you obtain your J-1 visa and maintain your J-1 status.

To be eligible for a J-1 visa as a professor or researcher, you must:

• Be able to speak English well enough to work at your particular job;
• Have the financial means to support yourself (and your spouse or children if they are coming with you) while you are in the U.S.; and
• Have medical insurance while you are in the U.S.

Applying for a J-1 Visa

Your sponsor organization will provide you with a Form DS-2019 certifying your eligibility for a J-1 researcher or professor visa. You will then need to fill out a J-1 visa application — Form DS-160 — to receive your actual visa. You may want to consult with an immigration lawyer rather than attempting to do this on your own.

After filing your visa application and paying the required fees, you will then need to schedule an appointment for an interview at the U.S. consulate in your home country. Residents of Canada are exempt from this interview. A few days prior to the interview, you will be asked to pay a SEVIS fee to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security unless your sponsor organization has already paid it as part of your program fees.

At your interview, you will need to provide all the supporting documentation for your J-1 visa application, including the DS-2019 form. You will be asked questions about your eligibility and will be subject to security background checks as well.

If you are married, your spouse and any unmarried children under the age of 21 can come with you by applying for a J-2 visa. Each family member will be provided with a separate DS-2019 form from your sponsor organization. Children can attend school in the U.S. on a J-2 visa without having to apply for a student visa. Family members may also work but their income must be used to support themselves and cannot be used to support you during your stay in the U.S.