For Academic Faculty Members

JIPT supports the U.S. visa and ESTA applications of faculty members belonging to an academic institution.

J-1 visa is called the “Exchange Visitor” visa. If you participate in an exchange visitor program of a school or organization that is approved by the U.S. Department of State and receive a DS-2019 form (Certificate of Eligibility), you will need a J-1 visa.

Participants include teachers of primary, middle, secondary, and specialized schools; professors and researchers who teach or research at an institution of higher learning; and trainees who go for work-related training in a company or organization.

The J-1 visa is split into 14 categories:

As a former exchange visitor, if one or more of the following conditions applies, you may not be issued a fiancé(e) (K), intracompany transferee (L), temporary worker (H), or other immigrant visa until you have resided and been physically present in your country of nationality or last residence for at least two years following the completion of your exchange visitor program.

1. The program was financed by the United States government or the government of your country of nationality or last residence.
2. You are a national or resident of a country which the U.S. department of state has designated as clearly requiring the services of people in the field of specialized knowledge or skills in which you were engaged during the exchange visitor program (no skills are listed as being required for Japan).
3. You are a physician who entered the United States to receive medical education or training.

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U.S. Consular officers determine whether the two-year rule is applicable at the time of your visa application and interview. If it applies, it will be mentioned on your J-1 visa.

Please note that if your host academic institution or organization is not approved by the U.S. Department of State, you may apply to be sponsored through the program of an organization instead, such as Cultural Vistas’ exchange and training program. (Cultural Vistas is a global partner of JIPT.)

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The U.S. host school you plan to attend will determine whether you need an F-1 or an M-1 visa.

This is the most general type of student visa. If you plan to engage in academic studies in the United States at an approved school – such as an accredited U.S. college or university, private secondary school, or approved English language school – you will need an F-1 visa.

If you plan to engage in non-academic, vocational study, or training at a U.S. institution, you will need an M-1 visa.

1. Travelers of Visa Waiver Program countries coming to the United States for tourism or business for stays of 90 days or less will not need to obtain a visa. However, they are required to receive authorization though the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) and will be screened at their port of entry prior to entering the United States.
2. ESTA authorization is valid for 2 years from the date you receive authorization. It is not necessary to reapply for as long as you go to the U.S. for the same purpose.
3. Please confirm ESTA details on the following U.S. Embassy website:

• U.S. Embassy

1. Travelers whose countries are not members of the VWP program will need a B visa to travel to the U.S. for tourism, business, conferences, meetings, etc., even if the length of stay is 90 days or less.
2. On January 21, 2016, the United States began implementing changes made under the Visa Waiver Program Improvement and Terrorist Travel Prevention Act of 2015. Nationals of VWP countries who have traveled to Iraq, Iran, Syria, Sudan, Libya, Somalia, and Yemen after March 1, 2011 are no longer eligible to travel under the VWP (this includes traveling to the U.S. while in transit to another country).