J-1 Visa Attorney in Chicago — Exchange Visitor Program

The J-1 Exchange Visitor Visa allows foreign nationals to participate in approved exchange programs in the United States, including internships, training, teaching, research, and cultural exchange. At Liberum Law, our J-1 visa attorneys in Chicago help individuals and program sponsors navigate J-1 requirements and resolve challenges including the two-year home residency requirement.

J-1 categories include au pairs, camp counselors, government visitors, interns, trainees, physicians, professors and research scholars, short-term scholars, specialists, students (secondary, college, university, or graduate), summer work travel, and teachers.

One of the most complex aspects of J-1 status is the two-year home residency requirement (INA 212(e)). Certain J-1 participants are required to return to their home country for two years before they can change to certain other visa categories (like H-1B) or apply for permanent residence. Our attorneys help clients obtain waivers of this requirement through interested government agency requests, no objection statements from the home country government, persecution claims, and hardship to a U.S. citizen or permanent resident spouse or child.

Contact our J-1 visa attorneys at Liberum Law for a free consultation.