Educational & Cultural Exchange

Purpose of the J-1 Program

The purpose of the Exchange Visitors Program (EVP) 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. Educational and cultural exchanges assist the Department of State in furthering the foreign policy objectives of the United States. As per 22 CFR Part 62.

More specifically, trainees and interns are governed by § 62.22, and according to which foreign nationals with significant experience in their occupational field have the opportunity to receive training in the United States in such field. These regulations also establish a new internship program under which foreign national students and recent graduates of foreign post-secondary academic institutions have the opportunity to receive training in the United States in their field of academic study. These regulations include specific requirements to ensure that both trainees and interns receive hands-on experience in their specific fields of study/expertise and that they do not merely participate in work programs.”

See main requirements for interns and trainees.

Occupational categories which we are designated by the U.S. Department of State to sponsor:

Arts and Culture;
Hospitality and Tourism;
Information Media and Communications;
Management, Business, Commerce and Finance;
Public Administration and Law; and
The Sciences, Engineering, Architecture, Mathematics and Industrial Occupations.

Our program is focused on sponsoring J-1 visas for interns and trainees in the STEM fields – science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. We are also part of the U.S. Department of State’s Early Career STEM Research Initiative.. While our main goal is to attract foreign STEM talent, we absolutely welcome interns and trainees in other fields as STEM is not just about science. Often it’s peripheral fields such as arts and culture that inspire and fuel scientific progress.

Program Registration