J1 Visa Requirements for Nigerians | IAS

Au Pair

To be eligible for a J-1 visa as an au pair, you must have received a firm job offer from a host family in the US.

Other eligibility criteria for this programme include:

• Be 18-26 years of age.
• Be fit and healthy.
• Have previous childcare experience.
• Speak English.
• Have a secondary school education.
• Be a non-smoker (if this is a requirement laid out by the host family)
• Have a police clearance report.
• Hold an international driver’s licence and have a minimum of 50 hours of driving experience.
• Be ready to live at least 12 months in the US.
• Have not already lived in the US as an au pair.

Camp Counsellor

Through the Camp Counsellor programme, foreign post-secondary students and youth workers can work at a US summer camp.

To be eligible for a camp counsellor programme, the applicant must:

• Speak English.
• Have experience dealing with children.
• Be at least 18 years of age.
• Possess a post-secondary student qualification or have worked as a youth worker, teacher, or individual with specialised skills in Nigeria.

Government Visitor

To qualify for a J1 visa as a government visitor you must be:

• Selected by a US federal, state or local government agency for the programme.
• Engaged in observation tours, discussions, consultations, professional meetings, conferences, workshops and travel.
• Considered an influential or distinguished person in Nigeria.

Intern

To apply for a J1 visa as an intern, you must be either:

• A graduate from an accredited institution at the Associate’s Degree level or higher with at least 12 months of related work experience in Nigeria.
• A young professional with at least five years (60 months) of experience in your field.

International Visitor

J1 visas are issued to international visitors if they are:

• Selected by the US Department of State to visit the country.
• Engaged in consultation, observation, research, training or can demonstrate a special skill.
• Recognised as or considered a potential leader in a specialised field in Nigeria.

Doctor

To study or work in the US as a doctor on a J1 visa you must meet the following criteria:

• Have a background that makes you suitable for the medical programme in which you wish to participate.
• Be proficient in both spoken and written English.
• Provide written assurance to the US Secretary of Health and Human Services that there is a need in Nigeria for individuals with the skills you seek to acquire in the US and that you have filed a written assurance with the government of Nigeria that you will return to the country upon completion of your training.
• Have an agreement or contract from an accredited medical school, an affiliated hospital or a scientific institution to provide the accredited graduate medical education, signed by both the applicant and the official responsible for the training.
• Have passed one of the following medical exams:
  • Parts I and II of the National Board of Medical Examiners Examination.
  • The Foreign Medical Graduate Examination (both Step I and Step II).
  • The Visa Qualifying Examination (VQE).

Professor

To work in the US as a professor on a J1 visa, you must meet the following criteria:

• You cannot be a candidate for a tenured position in the US.
• You cannot have participated in and completed a professor programme over the 24 months preceding the start date of the programme you wish to join.
• You cannot have taken part in a J visa programme for all or part of the 12 months immediately preceding the start date of the professor programme you intend to join. There are exceptions to this rule if:
  • You are a current participant in a professor programme and you are transferring to another institution in the US to continue your current J-1 programme.
  • A previous J-visa programme lasted less than six months.
  • Your participation in a programme in the US was as a short-term scholar.

Short-term Scholar

To participate in this programme, you must:

• Be aged between 15 and 18.5 on the first day of school.
• Have completed more than 11 years of primary and secondary school.
• Not have previously participated in a secondary school exchange programme in the US.

Summer Work Travel

Students enrolled in full-time education in Nigeria at a post-secondary accredited academic institution can visit the US on a J1 visa if they are:

• Proficient in English.
• Enrolled in a post-secondary school or actively pursuing a degree or other full-time course of study at a post-secondary educational institution outside the US.
• Have completed at least one semester or equivalent of post-secondary academic study.
• Have a confirmed job in the US before entering the country unless they come from a visa waiver country.

Teacher

To work in the US on a J1 visa you must meet the following requirements:

• Possess qualifications for teaching in primary or secondary schools that have been issued by a recognised body in Nigeria.
• Work as a teacher in Nigeria or, if you are not currently working as a teacher, meet the other eligibility criteria and have recently (within 12 months of your application) completed an advanced degree and have at least two years of full-time teaching experience over the past eight years.
• Have a degree equivalent to a US bachelor’s degree in either education or the academic subject field in which you intend to teach.
• Be of good reputation and standing in Nigeria.
• Plan to enter the US to work as a full-time teacher at a primary (including pre-kindergarten) or a secondary school that is an accredited educational institution in the US.
• Be proficient in both spoken and written English.

College and University Student

Students who wish to study in the US on a J1 visa must meet the following criteria:

• Be enrolled in a full-time course of study and maintain a good academic record.
• Undertake a course of study that is either directly or indirectly financed by the US government, a public body in Nigeria, or an international organisation of which the US is a participating member.
• Participate in a programme that is carried out according to an agreement between the US government and the Nigerian authorities.

A college student J1 visa holder may also participate in a student internship programme while in the US if the internship fulfils the educational objectives of the degree programme

Overview

Once you have a sponsor and have been registered in the SEVIS system, you can then apply for a J1 visa.

You can submit your application online or at your nearest US embassy or consulate.

As part of the application process, you will have to:

• Apply to an eligible sponsor who will send you the application form DS-2019.
• Complete the form DS-7002 if you wish to apply for a J1 visa as an exchange visitor trainee or intern.
• Complete the form DS-160 and remember to print the confirmation page once you have submitted it because you will need it at your visa interview.
• Upload a 51 mm x 51 mm photograph when completing the application form.
• Provide the authorities with a police certificate or other proof that you have a clean criminal history.
• Arrange a J1 visa application interview at a US embassy or consulate.

Application Tip

When you submit your DS-160 form, you may be asked ‘Have you attended any educational institutions at a secondary level or above?’.

You should list any high schools, colleges and universities you have attended.