Getting the J-1 visa

Before departure every participant must hold a signed Job Offer from a US employer — found through the program or on your own and vetted by the sponsor. The sponsor then issues your DS-2019; you pay the SEVIS I-901 fee, complete the DS-160 online application, pay the visa (MRV) fee, and attend a short interview at the US embassy or consulate. Refusals happen for understandable reasons: English below the required level, freezing up on a simple question, or past immigration violations in the family — historically the large majority of well-prepared students pass. One thing must be said straight, the way we always have: nobody — no agency, no sponsor, nobody — can guarantee you a visa. A serious program tells you in writing, before you pay, exactly what happens to your money if the consul says no.