{"id":2436,"date":"2026-11-13T10:37:05","date_gmt":"2026-11-13T15:37:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/iss\/?page_id=2436"},"modified":"2026-11-13T12:00:50","modified_gmt":"2026-11-13T17:00:50","slug":"exchange-visitor-program","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/iss\/exchange-visitor-program\/","title":{"rendered":"Exchange Visitor"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The J-1 Exchange Visitor Program was established under the U.S. Department of State to bridge mutual understanding through educational & cultural exchange between people of the United States and people from countries around the world. To accomplish this, the program aims to provide foreign nationals with educational opportunities to, in return, share their experiences back home and encourage Americans to embrace and explore their respective countries of nationality. Those granted entry into the U.S. under this visa category will do so with the intention of participating in and completing a specified exchange.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The DS-2019 and the J-1 Visa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

At many SEVP-approved institution in the U.S., there will be an RO (Responsible Officer) and an ARO (Alternative Responsible Officer) present for the admittance of J-1 non-immigrants. It is these individuals who are responsible to ensure proper reporting and record-keeping in the system known as SEVIS. This system is a database under SEVP established in January 2003 by the Department of State and the Department of Homeland Security following the events of Sept. 11, 2001. This database needed to be created in order to satisfy legislation passed by U.S. Congress, mandating the use of an electronic system to collect and store information on all J-1 non-immigrants. Using the system SEVIS, SEVP is able to communicate current and up-to-date data to any and all government agencies in need of J-1 non-immigrant information. In addition to the maintenance of SEVIS records, oversight of the program\u2019s sponsors (staff members at Monmouth) and the exchange participants, fall under the \u201cResponsible Officers\u201d located in the Global Education office. These officers are tasked with monitoring all aspects of the exchange participants programs to ensure compliance with government regulations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In many, but not all cases, Exchange Visitors are specifically chosen or recruited by staff or faculty members of an institution. In order for these institutional members to formally request to sponsor an Exchange Visitor, they will need to communicate directly with the global education office at least 4-6 months in advance. A meeting, to include the potential Exchange Visitor and the sponsor, will be requested by the Global Education office to evaluate the nature and the specifics of the proposed program and to review the responsibilities that all parties must comply with. If determined to be eligible, the onsite RO or ARO will collect all necessary documentation and information to generate the form DS-2019. This official government document indicates that an individual has been admitted into a specified exchange visitor program, and contains sponsor details, the category of the exchange, financial support, and the program start\/end dates. Located on the DS-2019 will be a designated SEVIS ID # that begins with an \u201cN\u201d followed by 10 digits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The DS-2019 and SEVIS ID # are required to schedule a J-1 Visa appointment at a Consulate or Embassy located in the EV\u2019s country of residence. An initial fee of $180 will be charged to schedule an appointment but, EV\u2019s will also be responsible for the \u201cI-901 SEVIS Fee\u201d of $220 which will need to be paid for prior to the scheduled appointment. The \u201cSEVIS fee\u201d is directly paid to the Department of Homeland Security through their website<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Visa Appointment<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Exchange Visitors must be prepared and have with them the following documentation for their J-1 Visa Interview:<\/p>\n\n\n\n