J-1 Visa Overview
The Exchange Visitor Program is a federal program administered by the Department of State which implements the Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange Act of 1961. This Act promotes mutual understanding between the peoples of the United States and other countries by means of educational and cultural exchange. The Exchange Visitor Program provides eligible foreign nationals with opportunities to participate in exchange programs in the United States and then return home to share their experiences.
There are a number of different “categories” within the J-1 Exchange Visitor program and NC State University has been designated by the US Department of State to sponsor the following categories: student, student intern, professor, research scholar, and short-term scholar. The Exchange Visitor Program at NC State is conducted by a Responsible Officer and Alternate Responsible Officers (trained advisors in OIS), who issue visa certificates (Form DS-2019) and assist the Exchange Visitors and the sponsoring university departments in understanding applicable federal, state, and university regulations or policies. As J-1 Program Sponsors we are also required to provide Exchange Visitors with pre-arrival information, offer orientation, and monitor the activities of our program participants. OIS relies on faculty sponsors, faculty advisors, and other departmental representatives to help with this monitoring requirement. The University sometimes has a number of other J-1 Exchange Visitors on campus who have sponsors other than OIS (e.g., Fulbright, Laspau, AIPT, CDS, etc.,) and they often include visiting researchers, specialists, camp counselors, and trainees.
It is important to remember that the Exchange Visitor Program at NC State University is not a primary or simply expedient means of employing foreign nationals (or- from the scholar’s point of view - for working in the US), but is intended to further the educational, cultural, and research interests of the foreign student or scholar as much as or more than the needs of the faculty sponsor, grant program, or University. The links to the left are written primarily for J-1 Research Scholars (visiting researchers, post-docs, faculty on sabbatical, etc.,) and information for faculty PIs and department personnel can be found in the Faculty and Staff section of this website.
Please direct inquiries regarding degree-seeking J-1 students to Office of International Services (OIS) and all non-degree student, student intern, research student, or certificate students to the Global Training Initiative (GTI). Please direct all inquiries about permanent positions or employment visas (e.g., H-1B, TN, or green cards) as well as "No-Pay" visitors (B-1/B-2 visa) to the International Employment Office in Human Resources.
For more information, please visit the Department of State’s extensive website on the J-1 Exchange Visitor program.