Anyone who is planning to study or receive training in the United States must maintain a type of student status. Therefore, the USA issues several visa categories for international students. Among them, the F1-visa is the visa issued for students wishing to go for their studies in the USA. Under the F1-visa, you will be permitted to live, study, and in certain cases work in the United States for the duration of your academic program thanks to the F-1 visa.

The J1-Visa similarly is an exchange visitor visa which includes the internship/trainee program for students. People from all around the world can use this visa to learn skills in the United States that they can then transfer to their own countries. Since both the visas are targeted for students, let us look at some of the features in each of the visas.

  • Each of the visas have a different procedure for “funding”. For an F1-visa, funding can be done by any of the personnel’s (your) sources. But for a J1-Visa, the funding should be done primarily by a “sponsor company.”  Sponsor companies are independent organizations that provide sponsorship services to the applicants.
  • Another difference is in the overall cost for programs of each of the visas. For a program in the F1-visa (say bachelor’s degree), a student can need anywhere from $20,000-$35,000 per year for cost of study only! A J1-visa program generally costs anywhere from $5000-$7000 for the length of the program.
  • The F1-visa is generally issued for a period of five years. The J1-Visa length depends on the program and can be anywhere from 3 months to 18 months.
  • Applicants for the J1-Visa are generally eligible for a stipend for their work (internship/trainee) ranging from $12-$20 per hour. F1-visa holders are eligible for part-time jobs for a total of 20 hours per week.
  • The grace period (time you can stay in the US after visa expiry) is 30 days for the J1-visa, and 60 days for the F1-visa.

As you have probably guessed, the decision of whether you should pursue the F1 or the J1 visa is heavily based on both your current situation and your plans for the future. As a student, both visas are great opportunities to learn without restriction in the United States. The F1-visa is generally for students wishing to study for a degree (bachelors, masters) and the J1-visa is for students/recent graduates who wish to get a chance to work in a US based organization as an intern/trainee.

Benefits of the J-1 Visa

  • Get valuable experience from a reputed company in the US with a stipend.
  • You will get better offers from US universities with the internship/trainee program.
  • Gain work experience in your related field.
  • Improve your employment opportunities.
  • Create connections through the program.

Benefits of the F-1 Visa

  • Come study full-time in a program leading to a degree or certificate in the United States.
  • Perform a part-time job on campus legally. You may also look for work away from university if it is financially required or requires training in the field.
  • Travel within the country or overseas, or stay in the country until your studies are finished.
  • Use an F-2 visa to bring your spouse and children to the United States.