J-1
Exchange visitor
The J-1 is for people coming to the U.S. through a State Department exchange program, such as research, teaching, internships, or training. A designated program sponsor, often a university or exchange organization, issues the Form DS-2019 that starts the process. Some J-1 visitors must spend two years in their home country before they can get certain other visas or a green card.
Request a consultIs the J-1 for you?
- Researchers and professors invited by U.S. universities and research institutes
- Interns and trainees placed with U.S. companies through a sponsor
- Short-term scholars and specialists sharing expertise
- Anyone planning a next step after the exchange, such as an O-1, H-1B, or green card
- Who sponsors
- Program sponsor
- Typical stay
- Set by the program
What the case needs
- 01Acceptance into a program run by a sponsor the State Department has designated.
- 02A Form DS-2019 from the sponsor, and payment of the required government fees.
- 03Enough funding for your stay, and health insurance that meets program rules.
- 04English skills sufficient for the program.
- 05Intent to return home when the program ends.
- 06A check of whether the two-year home residency rule applies to you.
Your case, start to finish.
An attorney reviews your plans with you and your sponsor and confirms the right J-1 category, such as research scholar, professor, intern, or trainee.
We check whether the two-year home residency rule applies, based on funding, your home country's skills list, and any medical training.
If the rule applies and you need to stay, we prepare the waiver request, for example through a no-objection statement from your home government.
We plan your next status early, so the J-1 does not block it.
Before you ask.
What is the two-year home residency rule?
Some J-1 visitors must live in their home country for two years after the program before they can get H or L status or a green card. It applies if your program had government funding, your field appears on your country's skills list, or you came for graduate medical training. The State Department revised the skills list in 2024, so it is worth checking again.
Can the rule be waived?
Yes, in several ways: a no-objection statement from your home government, a request from an interested U.S. government agency, a showing that you would face persecution, or exceptional hardship to a U.S. citizen or permanent resident spouse or child. Physicians have separate routes, and the no-objection route is closed to physicians who came for graduate medical training.
Can I switch to an O-1 if the rule applies to me?
Usually yes, with one limit. The rule does not bar O-1 status, but while it applies you generally cannot change status inside the U.S. That means applying for the O-1 visa at a consulate abroad.
Can my family come with me?
Your spouse and unmarried children under 21 can join you in J-2 status. J-2 spouses can apply to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) for permission to work.
Worth comparing.
O-1A
Extraordinary ability in science, business, or technology. No lottery, no annual cap.
Employer or agent · Up to 3 years, renewable
H-1B
Specialty occupations that call for a degree. Most employers enter the annual lottery.
Employer · 3 years, extendable to 6
EB-2 NIW
Advanced degree or exceptional ability, in work that serves the national interest.
Self-petition · Permanent
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