J-1 Visa (Exchange Visitors) - U.S. Embassy Bogotá, Colombia

Nonimmigrant Visa Unit

J-1 Visas (Exchange Visitors)

What is a J-1 visa?

A J-1 visa is for applicants whose primary purpose of travel to the United States is to participate in the Exchange Visitor Program.

The Exchange Visitor Program is carried out under the provisions of the Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange Act of 1961, as amended. The purpose of the Act is to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries by means of educational and cultural exchanges. International educational and cultural exchanges are one of the most effective means of developing lasting and meaningful relationships. They provide an extremely valuable opportunity to experience the United States and our way of life. Foreign nationals come to the United States to participate in a wide variety of educational and cultural exchange programs.

The Office of Exchange Coordination and Designation in the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs administers the Exchange Visitor Program. At the conclusion of their program, participants are expected to return to the home countries to utilize the experience and skills they have acquired while in the United States.

In carrying out the mandate of the Exchange Visitor Program, the Department of State designates public and private entities to act as exchange sponsors. Designated sponsoring organizations facilitate the entry of foreign nationals into the United States as exchange visitors to complete the objectives of one of the exchange visitor program categories, which are:

Au Pair
Camp Counselor
College/University Student
Secondary Student
Government Visitor
International Visitor (reserved for Department of State use)
Alien physician
Professor
Research Scholar
Short-term Scholar
Specialist
Summer Work/Travel
Teacher
Trainee

Each exchange category has specific requirements.

To learn about the foreign physician, au pair, camp counselor, summer work/travel, or trainee categories, select Private Sector Programs.

To learn about the post-secondary student, college/university student, professor, research scholar, short-term scholar, specialist, teacher and Government Visitor and International Visitor categories, select Government Programs.

For more information on the J visa itself, please see 9 FAM 41.62.

Overview – About the Exchange Visitor Visa

The Immigration and Nationality Act established the J nonimmigrant visa category for persons who are approved to participate in exchange visitor programs in the United States. This means that before you can apply at the Embassy for a J visa, you must apply to, meet the requirements of, and be accepted by one of the Exchange Visitor Program categories through a designated sponsoring organization. If you are accepted as a participant in an exchange program, the sponsor will provide you with information and documents necessary to apply for the J visa to enter the United States.

Qualifying for an Exchange Visitor Visa

The law is very specific with regard to the requirements which applicants must meet in order to qualify for the J visa. The consular officer will determine whether or not you qualify for the visa. Applicants must demonstrate that they meet the requirements to be issued a J visa, including the following:

That they plan to remain in the United States for a temporary period;
Evidence of funds to cover expenses in the United States;
Evidence of compelling social, economic and other ties abroad that will insure they return abroad at the end of the visit.

Spouse and Children of a J Principal Alien

Spouses and children under the age of 21, regardless of nationality, can apply for and receive J-2 visas to accompany or follow-to-join the principal alien in the United States. Derivatives receive the same visa classification as the principal alien.

How do I apply for a J-1 visa?

Follow the below steps in order to apply for a J-1 visa at the Embassy:

Purchase a personal identification number. If you are in the United States, skip this step and go to step 2.
Contact our Visa Information Center to schedule an appointment with the consular officer.
Pay the nonrefundable visa application fee.
New students must pay the nonrefundable Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) fee.
Appear at the Nonimmigrant Visa Unit on the date/time of your visa interview appointment.

What documents are required in order to apply for a J-1 visa?

Every J-1 visa applicant must provide the following documents:

A valid passport with at least six months’ validity remaining. Note that we are unable to process visas for applicants whose passports contain any type of powder. Also, we cannot accept damaged passports.
A completed and signed Form DS-156 (Nonimmigrant Visa Application). You may obtain Form DS-156 at any authorized Banco de Crédito office, or you may download the form from our website. If you download it from our website, make sure to print both pages of the form on one letter-size (8.5 inches by 11 inches) sheet of paper, front and back. You must take the completed form to Banco de Crédito when you pay the nonrefundable visa application fee.
For applicants who are at least 14 years of age but under 80, a completed and signed form DS-157 (Supplemental Nonimmigrant Visa Application). You may obtain form DS-157 at any authorized Banco de Crédito offices, or you may download the form from our website.
A completed and signed Form DS-158.
A photograph. Glue the photograph to the front of the Form DS-156 in the photograph space.
A Form DS-2019 (Certificate of Eligibility for Exchange Visitor Status) provided to you by your program sponsor. All exchange visitors, including their spouses and dependents must be registered in the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS), an Internet-based system that maintains accurate and current information on nonimmigrant students and exchange visitors and their dependents (J-2 visa holders). Your program sponsor is responsible for entering your information from the Form DS-2019 into SEVIS. Exchange visitors who are not part of a U.S. Government-sponsored program must pay a SEVIS fee for each program. Questions regarding your exchange program should be directly to your program sponsor.
A Colombian national identity card (cédula de identidad personal) for citizens of Colombia 18 years of age and older, a Colombia residency card for residents of Colombia 18 years of age and older, or an identification card for citizens and residents of Colombia under 18). If you just turned 18 and have not yet received your cedula or residency card, you must present the receipt issued by the Registraduría as well as the corresponding annotation on the passport.

Important Note: As a result of strict security procedures, some applications may require longer processing times. The application process cannot be accelerated, so you should not make final travel plans or purchase nonrefundable tickets until/unless you receive your visa. Visa applicants should never assume that their application will be approved.

Embassy of the United States

Nonimmigrant Visa Unit