J-1 Trainee Visa: Professional Training in the US for Up to 18 Months

The trainee category is part of the J-1 exchange visitor program. It helps working professionals build skills through structured training in US business practices, then take those skills home.

You qualify if you have either:

• A degree or professional certificate from a post-secondary institution outside the US and at least 1 year of related work experience outside the US, or
• 5 years of work experience outside the US in the field you want training in.

The training must build on your background without duplicating training or experience you already have.

If you are still a student or graduated within the last 12 months, the J-1 intern category fits better. If you want training that isn't available in your country and don't want to use a J-1, the H-3 trainee visa is another option.

Training is allowed in the same categories as internships:

• Agriculture, forestry, and fishing
• Arts and culture
• Construction and building trades
• Education, social sciences, library science, counseling, and social services
• Health-related occupations
• Hospitality and tourism
• Information media and communications
• Management, business, commerce, and finance
• Public administration and law
• Sciences, engineering, architecture, mathematics, and industrial occupations

Trainees cannot:

• Work in unskilled or casual labor jobs, childcare or elder care, or any position with patient care or contact.
• Spend more than 20% of their time on clerical or office support work.
• Fill positions that would otherwise go to full-time or part-time employees. The program is not ordinary employment.

The sponsor can't issue your DS-2019 until you, the host, and the sponsor sign a Training/Internship Placement Plan (Form DS-7002). It sets out:

• What you will learn and how, phase by phase.
• Your supervisor and how you'll be supervised.
• How your progress will be evaluated.

Hosts must provide continuous on-site supervision, structured learning (such as rotations, classroom training, and seminars), and enough staff and equipment. Programs over 6 months need a midpoint and final evaluation. Sponsors visit hosts that are new to their program, have fewer than 25 employees, and have under $3 million in annual revenue.

For hospitality and tourism programs of 6 months or longer, the plan must include at least three departmental or functional rotations.

• Extensions are allowed only within the maximum, with a new DS-7002.
• After a training program, you must live outside the US for at least 2 years before another J-1 training program.
• After the program ends, you have a 30-day grace period to prepare to leave, without working.

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.

Yes. Your spouse and unmarried children under 21 can come in J-2 status. They can study, and a J-2 spouse can apply for a work permit with Form I-765, as long as the income is not needed to support you. Sponsors will ask for proof that you can support your family during the program.

• Sponsor program fee: each sponsor sets its own. Get an itemized list before you sign.
• 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.
• Health insurance: required for you and any J-2 family members for the full program.
• Living costs: many training programs are paid, but you must still show you can cover rent and daily costs.

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 trainee program does not lead to a green card. Some trainees later return on work visas such as the H-1B or L-1, or apply through employer sponsorship using PERM. If the two-year rule applies to you, you must meet it or get a waiver first.

• The program looks like regular employment, not training.
• The training repeats what you already know.
• You can't show the required degree or years of experience.
• The officer doubts you will return home.

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.