You will need to pay a Machine Readable Visa fee (MRV fee). Depending on your country's policy on fees for U.S. citizens, there may also be a reciprocity fee. If you are applying for a J-1 visa in the researcher, professor, student or specialist categories, you must also pay a SEVIS fee as part of the visa application process. J-2 dependents do not need to pay the SEVIS fee.
The time it takes to process your application depends on many factors, among them what type of visa, which consulate, and whether your application will be subject to a security clearance check. In general, most U.S. visas are approved and issued within a day or two, though some can take a little longer. Most security clearances are approved within two to four weeks.
J visa applicants must be able to prove non-immigrant intent to the U.S. consular officer. You need to be able to prove that you will be returning to your home country at the end of your J program. You can do this by showing evidence of strong family and economic ties to your home country. This is even more important if you are applying for a visa after you have graduated, and are working in the U.S. on post-graduation optional or STEM OPT.
Please double-check with the consulate where you will be applying to verify required application documents and procedures.
Non-immigrant visa applicants are normally required to submit the following documentation to the U.S. consulate abroad:
It is sometimes advisable for continuing students to submit copies of transcripts.