Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs

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Participation

General Information

The J visa is a nonimmigrant visa, and participants in the J-1 Exchange Visitor Program are expected to return to their home countries when they complete their programs. Entry into the United States as a participant in the Exchange Visitor Program is granted with the understanding that participants will complete the objectives of a single program category.

The minimum duration of any exchange program is three weeks, except for participants in the Short Term Scholar category or those sponsored by the Federal Government. The maximum duration varies by category. The Form DS-2019 identifies the participant (block 1) and the sponsor (block 2 and block 7, which contains the name, signature and telephone number/address of the sponsor's responsible officer), provides a brief description of the program activity to be completed by the participant (block 2), indicates the begin and end dates of the program (block 3) and the program category (block 4), and provides a breakout of the total estimated financial support to be provided to the participant during his or her program (block 5).

The program participant is in current J visa status and may complete objectives relative to the program category indicated in block 4 only during the time period defined in block 3 unless the participant withdraws or is terminated from the program. The time period defined on the Form DS-2019 may not reflect the the maximum program duration permitted for a specific category; in such cases, the participant's program may be extended, as allowed by program regulations and at the discretion of the responsible officer. Program extensions beyond the maximum duration, if allowed for a program category, must be requested by the responsible officer and approved by the Department of State.

Program regulations of some categories permit the entry of the participant's dependents under the J-2 visa at the sponsor's discretion. Dependents are defined as the participant's spouse and minor unmarried children -- unmarried children under the age 21. Participants should contact their sponsors for additional information and to determine if their dependents may accompany them to the United States for the duration of their programs.

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