Well, here we are again reporting about the different types of Visas that allow people to enter the US, which are broken down in 2 specific categories: Immigrant and Non-Immigrant Visas. Along with the information on Immigrant Visas which appeared a few weeks back, we have been informing you about Non-Immigrant J-1 Visas, which are primarily considered as part of the Exchange Visitor Program. This is the largest category of all of the Non-Immigrant Visas and has many applications, as we have already seen and will continue talking about today. Over this time, we have covered what we consider the most useful Visas for our readers and this will be the final Blog in the series, but as you must know all good things come to an end. There are other Visa categories but they are so purpose specific that I felt that telling you about them would not be of much use. So, here we go with our last Blog.
International Visitor Program
This category is for programs that are people to people, who are looking to develop and strengthen personal and professional relationships between foreign nationals and Americans, as well as with American Institutions. As always, this program is designed for specific individuals who must meet a predesigned set of requirements to be accepted and to qualify for this Visa.
- The Participants must be chosen by the United Sates Department of State.
- They must be involved in assessment, observation, investigation, training or the demonstration of special abilities.
- They must also be potential leaders in a field which is specialized where they have specific knowledge or skills.
The Sponsors to this program must provide the International Visitors with:
- A summary of the program’s most important components.
Summer Work Travel Program
The International Visitor’s program also has a great appeal for foreign College or University students who desire to work and live in the United States, while complying with the full-time enrolment at post-secondary schools which are accredited, and which are located in their countries of origin, and who wish to travel to the United States to exchange cultural outlooks and ideas with people from this country through temporary work along with having the opportunity to travel. The Participants to this program must fulfill the following requirements:
- Their English skills must be good enough so that they may interact successfully in this setting.
- They must be enrolled in a post-secondary school which is accredited outside of the United States and where they are seeking to obtain a degree.
- They must have completed at least one semester or its equivalent in a post-secondary accredited school.
- They must have already been placed and accepted in a work program within the US.
The benefit to this program is that it allows foreign University or College students to have the opportunity to live and work within the United States during their summer vacation where they can interact with Americans and their way of life.
The Sponsors to this Program must:
- Provide all of the Participants prior to their entry with a Brochure of the State Department’s Summer Work Travel Program.
- The State Department’s toll-free emergency hotline number.
- The Sponsor’s 24/7 contact number.
- Provide information which informs the Participants of their obligation to inform Sponsors of when they arrive in the country, and if they decide to change jobs or their place of residence while in the US.
- They must provide information concerning their contractual obligations.
The employers involved in this program also have a set of obligations with the program as well as with the Participants which are:
- The employer must provide the participants with the number of paid hours of employment per week as is identified in the job post.
- They must pay eligible Participants with overtime where applicable in accordance to State and Federal Law.
- They must notify the Sponsors when the participants begin working, or when there are changes to the job position during the program, or when the Participants are not fulfilling their job obligations, or are not qualified to do the work. This also applies to when the Participants leave the post before the scheduled time.
- The Employers must notify the Sponsors in case of any emergency involving the Participants.
Physician Program
Under the Visitor Exchange Program, we also find the Physician Program which is for foreign doctors who wish to participate in US Graduate medical education programs or training at accredited US schools of medicine. This program obviously has participants, sponsors as well as hosts who must complete a set of requirements, which for the participants are:
- Participants must have adequate previous education and training to be permitted to participate in this program.
- They have to adapt to the educational and cultural setting where they will be receiving their education or training.
- They must be competent in their written and oral English skills.
- They must have passed Parts I and II of the National Board of Medical Examiners Test, the Foreign Medical Graduate Exam, Step I and II, or the Visa Qualifying Exam, which is prepared by the National Board of Medical Examiners.
- There must be a Statement of Need from the Participant’s Foreign Government which assures the US Government of the need for this specialty in the participant’s foreign country in addition to a statement assuring the doctor’s return to his own country once the program has been completed.
The Sponsors to this program are specifically designated by the Department of State who are the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates and they are required to:
- Verify that the foreign doctors meet the J-1 Visa eligibility requirements.
- Once their J-1 eligibility is verified this entity issues a Form DS-2019 which is a Certificate of eligibility.
Teacher Program
Last but not least there is the Teacher’s Program under the J-1 Visa which allows foreign teachers the opportunity to teach at accredited primary and secondary schools in the United States. This is one of the programs which includes the three components of Participants, Program Sponsors and Host/Employers, and as always, they must fulfill certain requirements which for the participants are as follows:
- They must meet the requirements to teach either in primary of secondary schools in their country of origin.
- They must be working in their country of origin when they apply for the program and have at least 2 years full-time teaching experience.
- They must have a degree which is equivalent to a US Bachelor’s Degree either in Education or the field which they wish to teach in.
- They must have a good reputation and character.
- They must be proficient in the English language.
The benefits to this program are obviously educational and cultural enrichment, where these teachers can refine their teaching skills while exchanging cultural experiences both in the schools as well as in the communities where they teach.
The Sponsors to this program must:
- Screen and select the foreign teachers.
- They must also verify the foreign teachers English language proficiency.
- Monitor the teacher’s work.
The Host/Employers must also meet requirements, which are:
- Involve the foreign teachers in school or community cultural activities.
- They must monitor the teacher’s classes.
As you have seen over the last few weeks there are a number of Immigrant and Non-Immigrant Visas available to foreigners who wish to be in the United States for a variety of reasons and purposes, and there are more, as I said before, which are so specific that I didn’t feel the need to mention them. Despite the current political climate in the US as far as the topic of immigration is concerned, it is still a wonderful country, the land of opportunities both for travel, work and education which I can vouch for because I lived, was raised, studied and worked there for many years and would not change anything having to do with that wonderful part of my own life. We will be telling our readers about working in the US over the next few weeks, so please stay tuned for further information!
Courtesy of The Spanish Group, Diploma Translation Service