Getting ready for your J1 visa interview at the embassy! Don’t sweat, I have helped thousands of applicants prepare for this, and this guide will help you get ready in no time. If you have never applied for a US visa, it can seem daunting but with this step-by-step guide, anyone can prepare properly for visa approval.
This post will discuss the process, the documents needed, and how to mentally prepare for your interview. Let me know in the comments below your experience, and which location you went to for your interview. Good Luck!
Important terms to understand
Before we even talk about the process or documents needed, let me explain a few of the terms needed.
First, this article will call you the: “applicant” during the visa process. And once you have been approved visa, and started your program in the USA you would be referred to as an “Exchange Visitor”.
For your J1 visa, you will have a company that you will work for or complete training at that is called the: “Host Employer”. Host employers need to sign off on your program as well.
Lastly, you will need a visa sponsor company. Visa sponsor companies have been approved and designated by the Department of State of the United States. These sponsor company issue official and controlled documents, and also monitor exchange programs while they are taking place in the USA, and are subject to report to the Department of State in Washington D.C. You can find official sponsor companies here, Of course, I can recommend GEC Exchanges, but there are many other great sponsors that can issue these documents for you.
Once you have selected your sponsor company, applicants will then need to complete specific requirements by that sponsor. These requirements could vary slightly, but they are based on the Depart of State regulations.
The Department of State in the USA is the regulating government that oversees these programs. In this article Department of State may be abbreviated DOS.
You are applying for a “NONimmigrant J1 visa. This is a visa for a short-term program in the USA, designed to have a cultural exchange, but NOT to immigrate or to move to the USA. Your program will not officially end until you are back in your home country and sharing your experience with others. Specifically, J visas fall under the US Bureau of Education and Cultural affairs.
SEVIS – Programs in the USA are tracked and monitored in the: “Student and Exchange Visitor Information System.“ This is abbreviated as SEVIS. Once you begin your application, your visa sponsors will help you find your SEVIS number, which is on the top of your DS-2019 form.
Now that we have some basic terms out of the way, let s get ready for that visa interview!
Required Documents. What’s needed For J1 Visa
There are five main documents you will be needing for your Visa Interview: (After the 20-30 documents you already submitted to your visa sponsor…)
DS-2019, DS-7002 (if applying for internship), I-901 Passport, MRV Fee Receipt, and DS-160
Let’s take a look at each:
DS-2019
The first document is the DS-2019 or Certificate of Eligibility for the J1 Visa program issued by your Visa Sponsor company. This document will show your biographical information, your host employer, the Visa Sponsor, program start and end dates, and financial information. This is the document that will allow you, the exchange visitor applicant, to schedule your embassy or consulate interview. It is also what is needed to enter the U.S. for this program once a visa has been issued. – Don’t lose it!
The DS-2019 is also a controlled document. This means that you will always need the original, paper signed by the visa sponsor at your visa interview, copies are not accepted. (Due to DOS regulations originals are printed in the USA, and then mailed overseas for you or the correct party to pick up). This process may seem a little outdated, but this is a DOS regulation. So again, remember do not lose this document! Most visa sponsor companies will charge a fee to replace or reprint a DS-2019 if it is lost, or damaged.
DS-7002
The second document is the DS – 7002. This is also called the “T/IPP” or the Training plan. *Note this is only required for the J1 “Internships and Trainee” category. For example, if you are applying for a J1 “Work and Travel” visa, you will not need this document.
This document, also issued by the visa sponsor company will list the overall all training, skills, knowledge, and techniques that will be taught and administered during the exchange program. The DS-7002 is like a syllabus for exchange visitors that helps outlined the program objectives and training. The visa sponsor, the exchange visitor applicant, and the host employer’s primary supervisor will sign the document. Many sponsor companies, like GEC, will complete these signatures online and present you with a full copy. The DS-7002 is not a controlled document, (will not need to be mailed) but both the exchange visitor and host organization should save a copy for their records.
DS-2019
The DS-2019 is your completed online application for Visa Appointment. This form is generated, with a barcode, once you complete the “Online Nonimmigrant Visa Application” online. You complete this form by visiting the Consular Electronic Application Center Website here: https://ceac.state.gov/genniv/ . This one should not take too long, and remember to set the online form in your home language to make it easier to complete. *Also, write down your application ID when you start, in case you have trouble and need to stop and resume this form at a later time.
Passport
Your current active and valid passport will be required. You must also have at least 6 months of validity on your passport past the time of your exchange program ending. For example, If your visa program ends in January 2020. Your passport must be valid until at least July 2020.
Your Visa application MRV fee receipt.
MRV is the Machine Readable Visa fee, and this is paid differently depending on the country you are applying from. See your specific embassy website for more instructions. The amount is $160, and after this is paid, you should have a receipt. Here is an example of MRV receipt from Bulgaria.
I-901 Fee Confirmation Receipt
To get started, there must be a payment, to issue you a SEVIS number, and most of the time this step is completed by your visa sponsor. Once this fee is paid properly you will be issued what is called SEVIS receipt and this is your I-901 form. Check with your visa sponsor or agency for who is completing this part, and ask how you will get your receipt. The cost for this is a one-time fee of “$220”.
Now that you have all your forms, the next step is to Schedule your visa Interview.
Scheduling an Embassy or Consulate Interview
First, the exchange visitor applicant must determine the location of the U.S. Embassy or Consulate where you will apply for a J-1 visa. Some countries only have one embassy, while some large countries will have one embassy and several consulate offices as well. You can find the addresses here: www.usembassy.gov. Select the appropriate link to go to the local U.S. consulate website and read all of the information pertaining to the application for a non-immigrant visa. Some embassies or consulates have a lot of information on how to set up your appointment, and some have very little. Remember, you are applying for a NONimmigrant visa, so make sure you are scheduling properly, not picking the “immigrant” visa instructions. *Some agency companies in your home country help and assist with visa appointments for you. This makes things much easier and can be extremely helpful. I would highly recommend using an agency to help you with your visa application, but you can apply without one if you can complete all these steps without much help. It is up to you, but using a registered agent in your home country is advisable. You can see which foreign partner agencies GEC uses on our website.
What You’ll Need for the J-1 Visa Consulate Interview
In addition to the DS-2019, DS-7002, I-901 confirmation receipts, and MRV receipts, exchange visitors need to bring the following documents to their embassy interview:
- Passport – must be valid for a minimum of 6 months after the completion of a J-1 program
- Original copy of interview appointment letter Also your DS – 160
- Original degree and transcripts (Unless applying as a trainee without University experience)
- Home ties – see below
- Financial documents – see below
- 2×2 inch photo
What are home-tie documents?
During the consulate interview, exchange visitors must prove, without reasonable doubt, that they intend to return back to their home country after their J-1 program has been completed in the USA. There are many ways to demonstrate strong home-tie connections, here are a few. Remember, it is your job to adequality convince the consulate office that you intend to return to your home after your program:
- Proof of property ownership (a house, apartment, car, etc.)
- Strong Proof of residency. Where you will be staying when you return home.
- Financial records (bank accounts, investments, showing little need for making money in the USA)
- Adequately explain how you plan to USE this exchange experience to help you with your future endeavors back in your home country upon completion.
- Proof of employment (Intent to hire letter, from an employer stating the exchange visitor will be employed upon the return and completion of a J-1 program)
- Proof of school enrollment (an official letter from a university stating an exchange visitor is enrolled and will continue their educational program upon the return and completion of their J-1 program)
- Strong family ties within your home country
What financial documents are needed?
Candidates may be required to show they have sufficient funds to cover the initial cost of the program, specifically: travel, initial housing cost, transportation, and other items before their stipend or salary is paid in the USA. (Depending on the program, this could be $1,000 – $2,000). The exchange visitor may provide bank statements as proof of their financial stability. *I have seen applicants get denied visas for not providing their finances clearly.
Possible J-1 Visa Consulate Interview Questions
The consulate official (interviewer) will be reviewing your documents and asking like:
- Why do you want to go to the U.S.?
- Which J-1 program are you applying to?
- What will you be doing in the U.S./Describe your program.
- Do you know who is your visa sponsor?
- Why are you qualified for the J-1 program?
- Where are you currently studying / working?
- Which university did you study at/have a degree from?
- When did you apply for this program / why were you interested in applying for the program?
- How will you pay for your expenses?
- (if an internship) Can you explain or summarize the training that you will receive?
- Where do you plan to live?
J-1 Visa Interview Tips – Attitude
When I started this article I said I helped thousands of applicants prepare for their visa interviews in the past few years. I would say the most important piece of advice I can give you, is you must: have the right attitude. You must have the attitude of: “I am here to receive my visa, I have all the qualifications, my visa sponsor has already checked and approved me, and there is no reason I should be denied…” Remember, you are not leaving that interview, without visa approval. (I know of people that started to be denied by the interviewer and they explained more, kept speaking, did not take no for an answer, and then were approved for a visa at the end. So get that smile ready, remember all the questions you prepared for, and go in there and get that Visa!
More tips:
Also remember the purpose of this program is for cultural exchange and mutual understanding between nations, NOT to work in the USA. So you can say things like, “I will do my cultural exchange with this employer.” Or “I will do my training with this host…” But you should not say things like, “I will work here, and I hope to make this amount of income…”
What else, dress your best. Treat this like a job interview, and show up in your best professional outfit, with all your documents organized and ready to go.
Be calm, relax, and do anything you need to do to prepare… have a shot of espresso, put a smile on your face, look prepared, and relax before you go… get your mind ready for that visa approval, and how you will celebrate later today!
Of course, you must tell the truth, so do not lie about anything. Keep in mind that your social media may be reviewed.
For more tips about your specific interview location, maybe you can speak with others that have recently had a visa interview, and they can give you some tips. For most embassies, the non-immigrant director changes every two years. This also mee the focus on specific questions can change slightly every two years. For example, sometimes, questions about your finances are the most important, and sometimes, having strong family ties is the most important part of the interview. Sometimes which sponsor or agency you are working with makes a difference. Sometimes the host employer you are applying for is very important. Your local agency can usually help guide you with visa preparations, and they may know which questions you should prepare for.
Lastly, if your consulate officer gives you a visa rejection, immediately ask for the reason for the denial. The officer may not give you any information, but anything they say can be helpful for you if you plan to try a second time later. Denials happen from time to time, but if you have taken to time to read all these instructions, and you have still received a visa denial, maybe there was an error in some of your documents, or maybe you answered questions incorrectly, or you failed to adequately demonstrate your plan to return to your home country after your program. Regardless, after a denial check with others, see why others in your home country were denied as well, book that second appointment, prepare again, and don’t give up right away.
Good luck, I am sure you will do fine. Remember most important thing, is to prepare properly, then go into that interview with the right attitude. If you have any more questions, list them in the comments below. See you in the States!
