J-1 Exchange Visitors

By Editorial Team , 21 December 2006

USCIS Announces Processing Changes for Waivers of 2 Year Home Residency Requirement

On 12/19/2006, the USCIS announced Processing Changes for Waivers of 2 Year Home Residency Requirement (which applies to certain individuals who held J exchange visitor status in the U.S.).  First, as of 11/1/2006, the USCIS "Nebraska, Texas and Vermont Service Centers began forwarding to the California Service Center any new filings of Form I-612, Application of Waiver of the Foreign Residence Requirement of Section 212(e) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), as amended, that are based on claims of exceptional hardship or persecution."  S

Exchange Visitors (J-1)

The J-1 visa is not really one visa. It is a framework for around a dozen quite different exchange programs, running from au pairs and camp counselors to research professors and physicians in graduate medical training. What they share is a structure: you cannot apply on your own initiative, and you cannot simply choose your own activities once you arrive.