The J-1 visa process

Once your job is confirmed and your sponsor issues the DS-2019, you pay the SEVIS I-901 fee, complete the DS-160, pay the visa (MRV) fee, and attend your interview at the US Embassy in Dublin — providers typically book the appointment for you. The embassy holds your passport for around 10 days and posts it back with the visa, so don't plan travel right around your appointment. You must enter the US within 10 days of your DS-2019 start date. The interview is short and, for pre-placed Irish students, usually straightforward. Nobody can guarantee a visa — and after the collapse of a major provider in 2020 left students out of pocket, getting refund terms in writing is a lesson the Irish market learned the hard way.