|
|
Bureau
of Educational and Cultural Affairs
Home
> The Exchange Visitor
Program
Background and Overview
Authority for the Exchange Visitor Program derives from the Mutual
Educational and Cultural Exchange Act of 1961 (Public Law 87-256)
as amended, 22 U.S.C. 2451, et. seq. (1988), also known as the
Fulbright-Hays Act (or, as simply the Act). The purpose of the
Act is to increase mutual understanding between the people of
the United States and the people of other countries through educational
and cultural exchanges. Activities specified in the Act are facilitated,
in part, through the designation of public and private entities
as sponsors of the Exchange Visitor Program.
Through the Exchange Visitor Program, foreign nationals may visit
the United States temporarily to teach, lecture, study, observe,
conduct research, consult, train, or demonstrate special skills.
Designated sponsoring organizations facilitate the entry of foreign
nationals into the United States to complete the objectives of
any one of 13 program categories. At the conclusion of their program,
participants are expected to return to their home countries.
Our office is organized into two divisions. The Private Sector
Programs Division includes the alien physician, au pair, camp
counselor, summer work/travel, and training exchange visitor categories.
The Academic and Government Programs Division includes the student
program category, which accommodates programs for both secondary
(high school) and post-secondary (college/university students)
at undergraduate and graduate levels, degree and non-degree tracks,
the professor, research scholar, short-term scholar, specialist,
teacher, and Government Visitor and International Visitor categories.
The latter two program categories are reserved for the exclusive
use of government (local, state, and federal) agencies and the
Department of State, respectively.
Program regulations appear in Title 22 of the Code of Federal
Regulations (CFR), Part 62. Regulations relevant to the general
administration of all exchange programs, regardless of category,
are found in Subpart A - General Provisions; regulations specific
to each category are found in Subpart B. Regulations about the
status of the exchange visitor are found in Subpart C. Sanctions
and Program Termination and Revocation are covered in Subparts
D and E, respectively. The most recently published version of
the regulations may be retrieved through the Government Printing
Office (GPO) website. Links to Subparts A, B, and C are available
on the Resources page. Links to Subparts D and E are available
through the Administration page. Note the references relevant
to your needs in order to better access the regulations through
the GPO retrieval site. You will need to note specific reference
in order to locate it (scroll to it) within the Subpart. Citations
for the specific regulation of an exchange visitor program category
or administrative function appear in the relevant discussion presented
in our website.
Brief descriptions about each exchange visitor category are offered
through the Private Sector and Academic and Government pages.
These descriptions are not intended to replace program regulations.
For details about each category, refer to the program regulations
at the noted reference. Additional information, specific to the
category, such as sponsor lists, FAQ sheets, and links to sites
of interest, may be available, and if so, accessed through the
description.
Back to the top
|