The J-1 Visa is a visa issued to participants of the Work and Travel USA program. The correct name for this visa is the J-1 Exchange Visitor Visa.
The J-1 visa was created to give international students the opportunity to work legally during their summer break in the USA. The J-1 visa has one very important feature: it is an entry visa. In other words, you can only use this visa to enter the USA, while the duration of your stay is determined by other documents (in this case, the DS-2019 form).
The J-1 visa is issued based on the DS-2019 form (IEC.Exchange will help you obtain this form), which is provided by a sponsoring American organization. The applicant must sign the DS-2019 form. When paying the program fee, you are not paying for the visa, but for the DS-2019 form, i.e., for the opportunity to become a participant in Work and Travel USA. The J-1 visa fee is paid separately when applying in person at the consulate. The US Embassy consular fee is $140, and there is a courier service fee for document delivery to and from the embassy. These fees are non-refundable in case of visa denial.
Applicants applying for exchange program visas must pay the SEVIS fee ($35) before the scheduled interview date. This fee is also non-refundable under any circumstances.
Source: IEC.Exchange VK group
(11.04.11)
