J Visa – Exchange Visitor

This program is meant for nonimmigrants who have no intention of abandoning their foreign residence and work as the following: professor/research scholar, short-term scholar, trainee/intern, college or university student, teacher, secondary school student, nonacademic specialist, foreign physician, international visitor, government visitor, camp counselor, au pair, or summer student in a travel/work program. The J visa applicant must also have sufficient funds, be fluent in English, and have sufficient medical insurance for accident and illness in a minimum of $50,000 per accident or illness. 

The period of stay allowed on a J visa varies based on the field in which the J Visa holder was first admitted. For instance, a post-doctoral degree candidate is granted his/her J Visa for the time it takes to complete the degree plus an additional 36 months of academic training while a post-secondary student is granted enough time to complete the degree along with an additional 18 months of practical or academic training.