Frequently Asked Questions

Participants traveling on a J-1 Professor or Research Scholar visa may stay in the U.S. for up to 60 months. Participants traveling on a J-1 Short-Term Scholar visa may stay in the U.S. for up to 6 months. Participants traveling on a Specialist visa may stay in the U.S. for up to 12 months.

Many different types of companies and institutions can be host organizations. This includes but is not limited to hospitals, research institutions, tech companies, educational institutions, libraries, museums, and more.

Many host organizations provide insurance to their visiting scholars, professors, researchers, and specialists. However, you must purchase a supplemental emergency medical travel insurance plan from CIEE in order to comply with the Department of State J-1 requirements.

Please note: If your host organization does not provide health insurance to you, don’t worry; CIEE offers insurance for purchase through one of America’s premier providers: Aetna, which is accepted by more than 672,000 health care providers around the country.

For questions or concerns regarding CIEE insurance, please contact us at contact@ciee.org.

Yes! We are happy to facilitate transfers so long as the maximum duration of the program will not be exceeded. Please note: Transfers of sponsorship are not available for J-1 Short-Term Scholar or J-1 Specialist visas.

If your DS-2019 indicates that you are subject to the two-year home country physical presence requirement (section 212(e) of the U.S. Immigration and Nationality Act), then you will be required to return to your home country for a minimum of two years before returning to the U.S. on certain types of visas. For more information, please contact U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services or the U.S. Department of State.

On the other hand, the two-year, non-repeat rule is a program-specific regulation that states researchers and professors who come to the U.S. on a J-1 Research Scholar visa must wait 2 years before coming back to the US on another J-1 Research Scholar visa. J-1 Short-Term Scholar and J-1 Specialist visas are not affected by this regulation.

As your J-1 visa sponsor, CIEE provides a number of services, including:

• Friendly, comprehensive assistance with every aspect of the application process
• Thorough vetting of host organizations
• In-depth participant orientation
• Health insurance coverage
• Robust support, including opportunities for cultural and professional networking
• Responsive customer service and 24-hour emergency support
• Program monitoring through evaluations
• Help with J-2 visas for qualified participant dependents

Program costs vary, but will include:

• Thorough vetting of host organizations
• In-depth participant orientation
• Health insurance coverage
• Robust support, including opportunities for cultural and professional networking
• Responsive customer service and 24-hour emergency support
• Program monitoring through evaluations
• Help with J-2 visas for qualified participant dependents

Contact us with more questions about what the program costs and what is included.

CIEE advises applicants to allow at least 4-6 weeks for the application process. The process can be expedited for an additional fee. Applicants should speak to a CIEE representative if they have any questions about processing times.

If you receive a salary, a stipend, an honorarium, or any other kind of pay, you will be subject to all applicable federal, state, and local income taxes. However, you will not be subject to Social Security, Medicaid, or federal unemployment tax.

CIEE requires all participants of our Professional Exchange Programs to apply for a Social Security number, even if you are not receiving a stipend.

Yes, but you will need a CIEE signature on your DS-2019 and a Letter of Good Standing from CIEE. If you are planning to travel abroad, you should contact CIEE at least 2 weeks prior to your trip. 

For more information, please read our guide to traveling in the U.S. and abroad.

Our customer service team is here to help you navigate and resolve any problems that arise during your program. They will work with you to address the issue and may also contact your host organization to determine their willingness or ability to resolve the problem.

You can call CIEE customer service at 1-888-268-6245 or email contact@ciee.org.

Yes, spouses and children may accompany you to the U.S. on a J-2 visa. You must submit a CIEE J-2 Dependent Application to CIEE.