J-1 exchange visitors: first steps

Step 1 — Know your sponsor and your RO

A sponsor is an organization designated by the State Department to run an exchange program (22 CFR 62.2). Every J-1 participant must have one; sponsors select participants, then support and monitor them during their stay (State Department — Common Questions).

Two kinds of sponsor officials handle your file (22 CFR 62.2):

• the Responsible Officer (RO), approved by the State Department;
• Alternate Responsible Officers (AROs), who assist the RO.

Your sponsor’s name and phone number are on your Form DS-2019 (State Department — Common Questions). The State Department says your sponsor advises you on all matters about your program, including authorizing travel outside the U.S. and keeping your J-1 documents valid (State Department — Common Questions). Keep their important answers in writing.

The State Department lists these program categories: Au Pair, Camp Counselor, College and University Student, Government Visitor, Intern, International Visitor, Physician, Professor, Research Scholar, Secondary School Student, Short-Term Scholar, Specialist, Summer Work Travel, Teacher and Trainee, plus STEM initiatives (State Department — Programs). Many rules differ by category.

Step 2 — Read your Form DS-2019

Form DS-2019, the “Certificate of Eligibility for Exchange Visitor Status,” is produced only through SEVIS (State Department — DS-2019), which sponsors also use to report your address, site of activity, participation and employment (Study in the States — About SEVIS).

Your DS-2019 shows (State Department — DS-2019):

• your name, and your sponsor and its officer;
• your program’s begin and end dates;
• your program category and field;
• your estimated financial support;
• a SEVIS ID number, starting with “N,” in the top right corner.

Check every detail; the form requires your signature on page one (State Department — DS-2019). If something looks wrong, contact your sponsor (State Department — About DS-2019). For your arrival record, see our I-94 guide.

Step 3 — Check in with your sponsor

Before you arrive, your sponsor must tell you how you and your family report your arrival (22 CFR 62.10). Follow those steps exactly.

When you check in, your RO or ARO validates your SEVIS record, confirming that you entered the U.S., reported to your sponsor and are taking part in your program (22 CFR 62.2). What the rules say (22 CFR 62.13):

• programs of 30 days or more must be validated within 30 days after the program begin date in SEVIS;
• validation turns your record from “Initial” to “Active” and records your U.S. address and site of activity;
• records not validated on time change automatically to “Invalid” or “No Show”;
• J-2 records are validated automatically with yours.

Go to orientation. Your sponsor must offer one, covering health care and insurance, sponsor rules, your RO’s and AROs’ contacts, and the Wilberforce pamphlet on the rights of temporary workers; sponsors are encouraged to include spouses and children (22 CFR 62.10).

Step 4 — Keep health insurance for the whole family

Sponsors must require you to have insurance for sickness and accidents during your program, and must require it for any J-2 spouse and children too (22 CFR 62.14). The regulation’s minimums, unchanged since 2014 (22 CFR 62.14):

• medical benefits of at least $100,000 per accident or illness;
• $25,000 for repatriation of remains;
• $50,000 for medical evacuation to your home country;
• deductibles of no more than $500 per accident or illness.

Coverage must last for your whole program as recorded in SEVIS (22 CFR 62.14), so if your program is extended, check that your policy is too. Sponsors must also tell you that you may be subject to the Affordable Care Act (22 CFR 62.14); see health insurance for newcomers and where to get medical care.

Step 5 — Work only as your program allows

A J-1 holder may only do the activity on their DS-2019, or what the rules for their category allow, with the approval of the RO or an ARO (State Department — Common Questions). You may be paid by your sponsor or its host organization when work is part of your program (22 CFR 62.16). Unauthorized work is a violation of your program status and can end your program (22 CFR 62.16). Ask your RO before any extra job or gig.

• Social Security number: your sponsor’s pre-arrival information should say if and when to apply (22 CFR 62.10). For problems, contact your sponsor and the Social Security Administration (State Department — Common Questions). See our Social Security number guide.
• Taxes: the IRS has special rules for exchange visitors (IRS), and the State Department suggests asking your sponsor (State Department — Common Questions). See taxes for international students and exchange visitors.

Step 6 — If your family came with you (J-2)

J-2 status is for the spouse and unmarried children under 21 of a J-1, and isn’t allowed in the au pair, camp counselor, secondary school student and summer work travel categories, or in some other programs (State Department — J-2). Each family member gets their own DS-2019 after the sponsor approves them (State Department — J-2). J-2s depend on the J-1’s status, may stay as long as the J-1 has valid status, and may study (State Department — J-2).

Work: in most cases a J-2 can work after getting an Employment Authorization Document (EAD) from USCIS, can apply only after arriving, and can’t use the money to support the J-1 (State Department — J-2). The application is Form I-765, category (c)(5) (USCIS — Form I-765 instructions). USCIS says it accepts the 08/21/25 edition of the form, not the 09/15/26 one (USCIS — I-765); check that page before you file. More in our guide for dependent spouses.

Step 7 — Report changes and plan ahead

• Changes: report a new phone number, email, U.S. address or site of activity to your sponsor within 10 calendar days (22 CFR 62.10). For USCIS and the post office, see our change of address guide.
• Trips abroad: your sponsor authorizes travel outside the U.S. (State Department — Common Questions), so talk to your RO before you book. An expired visa doesn’t need renewing if you stay in the U.S., but to return from a trip after it expires you must apply for a new J-1 visa in your home country (State Department — Common Questions).
• More time: your RO may extend your program up to the maximum for your category and issue a new DS-2019 (State Department — Adjustments and Extensions). Ask well before your end date.
• The end: the State Department describes a 30-day “grace period” after your program to prepare to leave; you can’t work or continue your program, and it advises against leaving the U.S. during it (State Department — Adjustments and Extensions).

A 2026 rule is on hold. On July 17, 2026, DHS published a final rule titled “Establishing a Fixed Time Period of Admission and an Extension of Stay Procedure for Nonimmigrant Academic Students, Exchange Visitors, and Representatives of Foreign Information Media” (USCIS — I-765). On September 14, 2026, a federal court postponed it, and USCIS says it “will proceed under the previous regulatory provisions” meanwhile (USCIS — I-765). Don’t rely on summaries, including ours: ask your RO which rules apply to you.

Step 8 — Know about the two-year home-country rule

Under section 212(e) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, some J-1s and their J-2 families must return home after the program before getting certain immigration benefits (State Department — Waiver). The State Department says it applies if your program was funded, even in part, by the U.S. or your home government (directly or through an international organization), was in a field on the Exchange Visitor Skills List for your country, or was graduate medical training (State Department — Eligibility).

If it applies, you need at least two years in total in your home country before you can change to H or L status, become a permanent resident, or get an immigrant, H, L or K visa; you can still visit the U.S. (State Department — Eligibility).

Where to check: sponsors and visa interviews generally tell you; for an official answer, ask the State Department’s Waiver Review Division for an “advisory opinion,” since the online survey on J Visa Waiver Online isn’t official (State Department — Eligibility). Waivers exist (State Department — Adjustments and Extensions), but whether one fits your case is a legal question: see free immigration legal help.