J-1 Teacher Visa: Teach in US Primary and Secondary Schools

The teacher category is part of the J-1 exchange visitor program. US schools use it to bring in teachers who share their culture with students and learn US teaching methods to take home.

You teach full-time as the teacher of record at an accredited primary (including pre-kindergarten) or secondary school. Pre-kindergarten teachers can only teach in language immersion programs at an accredited host school. Many J-1 teachers teach world languages, math, science, or special education, where US schools have shortages.

The J-1 teacher program is not for university teaching. For that, see the J-1 professor category.

You must:

• Meet the qualifications to teach primary or secondary school in your country of nationality or last legal residence.
• Be working as a teacher there when you apply. If you aren't, you must have completed an advanced degree within the last 12 months and have 2 years of full-time teaching experience within the past 8 years.
• Hold a degree equivalent to a US bachelor's degree in education or in the subject you will teach.
• Have at least 2 years (24 months) of teaching or related professional experience.
• Meet the standards of the US state where you will teach, such as a state teaching license or permit.
• Be of good reputation and character.
• Have enough English to teach effectively. Sponsors verify this through tests or interviews.

• Full-time teaching: at least 32 hours a week of teaching or teaching-related duties.
• Pay and conditions: your duties, hours, and pay must be similar to US teachers in similar positions at your school. The sponsor must give you a written statement of your pay and benefits.
• Cultural activities every year: one activity for your class, school, district, or community about your home country's history, traditions, and culture; and one activity that connects US students with schools or students abroad, preferably in your home country.
• Location: if you teach at a private school without a district, other teaching must be within 25 miles of the main host school.

• The program lasts up to 3 years, usually timed with the school year.
• The sponsor can ask the State Department for an extension of 1 or 2 years (not a semester). It must include a reference from the school and a record of your cultural activities, and it must be submitted at least 3 months before the extension would start.
• To do another J-1 teacher program later, you must live outside the US for 2 years and still meet the requirements.
• After the program ends, you have a 30-day grace period to prepare to leave.

Admission period. A DHS rule published on July 17, 2026 would replace "duration of status" with a fixed admission date for J-1 visitors (the program end date on your DS-2019, up to 4 years, plus 30 days). It was due to start on September 15, 2026, but a federal court in Massachusetts blocked it on September 14, 2026. For now, J-1 visitors are still admitted for duration of status. See fixed admission period status.

Proposed J-1 rule. On July 30, 2026, the State Department proposed stricter J-1 rules on program terminations, extensions, and fixing SEVIS errors. Comments close on September 28, 2026. It is only a proposal and is not in effect.

Your spouse and unmarried children under 21 can come in J-2 status. They can study, and they can apply for a work permit on Form I-765 as long as the income isn't needed to support you. Budget carefully: a teacher's salary in some districts may not easily support a family, and the sponsor will check that you have enough funds.

• Sponsor and placement fees: some teacher sponsors or overseas agencies charge large fees. Sponsors must disclose all fees in writing. Be careful with any agency that asks you to pay recruitment fees you can't recover, or to hand over your passport.
• SEVIS fee (Form I-901): paid online to DHS before the interview. Au pairs, camp counselors, and Summer Work Travel participants pay a lower rate. See ICE's I-901 page for the current amount.
• Visa application fee: $185 as of September 2026 for J visas. Participants in certain government-funded programs are exempt.
• Visa integrity fee: A $250 visa integrity fee, created by a 2025 law, is charged when a visa is issued. As of September 2026, consulates have rolled it out unevenly, so check your embassy's fee page.
• State licensing costs: credential evaluations, exams, and license fees.
• Health insurance for you and J-2 family members.
• Relocation: travel, housing deposits, and a car in many areas.

The two-year home residency rule. Some J-1 visitors must live in their home country for 2 years after the program before they can get an H or L visa, a K visa, or a green card. It applies if your program was funded by the US or your government, if your skills are on your country's Exchange Visitor Skills List, or if you came for graduate medical training. Your DS-2019 and visa usually show whether an officer thinks it applies. Waivers are possible through the State Department's Waiver Review Division.

The J-1 teacher program does not lead to a green card. Some teachers later return or stay through:

• Employer sponsorship by a school district using PERM, leading to EB-2 or EB-3.
• The H-1B visa, which schools can use for teachers.

If you are subject to the two-year rule, you must meet it or get a waiver before either option.

• Not enough teaching experience, or a degree that doesn't match the subject.
• No state license or permit arranged.
• The officer doubts you will return home.
• Documents that don't match the DS-2019.

Since 2025, the State Department has asked F, M, and J applicants to set their social media accounts to public so officers can review them.

Travel ban. Proclamation 10998 took effect on January 1, 2026, and has no end date. It limits visas for nationals of 39 countries: for 19 countries it suspends almost all visas, and for the other 20 it suspends immigrant visas plus B, F, M, and J visas. USCIS is also holding many pending cases from these countries for extra review. Check Travel ban status before you pay fees or book travel.