The J-1 Visitor Visa is among the Overseas Student Exchange Programs in the US. It is for overseas students aged between 14 and 18 years. They can apply for studying at an accredited private or public US High Scholl. They can stay with a host family in the US for 1 year on the J-1 Visa.
The Overseas Student Exchange Program under J-1 Visa is administered by the Department of State in the US. Overseas students can also study at a certified boarding school.
In 2018, there were 23, 527 fresh secondary student exchange visitors and the top 3 destinations were California, Michigan, and Texas. This is as per the Office of Private Sector Exchange’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Most of the overseas students were from Thailand, Brazil, Italy, Spain, and Germany.
The prospective students must keep in mind certain aspects while considering an Overseas Student Exchange Program in the US:
- Students will reside with volunteer host families
- The High School exchange program can be reasonable
- The students will be placed by an approved sponsoring organization
Overseas exchange students must pay a fee for the sponsoring organization for its oversight and placement services.
The process begins in the home nation of the student said the United Studies Inc Student Services for High School Programs Director Rene Brown. USI is a not-for-profit organization based in Arkansas. It specializes in high school exchange programs as well as travel and work programs, as quoted by the US News.
Brown says that the students must sign up through an organization or their school to go to the US. The application for admission will be reviewed by the partner organization in the US, she adds.
Students must also write a letter introducing themselves to their prospective host family in the US, said Brown. They must appear for an English test conducted by the partner agency and submit letters of recommendation and transcripts.
The J-1 Visa program is far more reasonable said Rene Brown. Students do not pay tuition fees while attending public school due to the nature of the program. The Visa regulations also do not permit any kind of payments to the host family in the US, she added.
An overseas student placed through the J-1 Visa in a private high school will have to pay tuition fees. Nevertheless, most of the students on J-1 Visa are placed in public schools. They would thus not be required to be placed in a private school.
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