The Exchange Visitor Skills List contains fields of specialized knowledge and skills. The Secretary of State has authority, pursuant to section 212(e) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, to designate countries as clearly requiring certain fields of specialized knowledge or skills. If your country of nationality or residence and your skill is on the current Skills List, you must fulfill the two-year home-country physical presence requirement following completion of your exchange visitor program before obtaining certain immigration benefits.
Note: What if your country is not on this list? You are not subject to the two-year home-country physical presence requirement on the basis of the Skills List; however, you may nonetheless be subject to the requirement based on funding from the U.S. government or your home country government, or if you received graduate medical education or training in the United States.
Step 1: Is your country on the Skills List? Find your country of citizenship or nationality (listed on your form DS-2019) on the Skills List by Country page.
Note: If you were living as a permanent resident in a different country when you were admitted to the United States in J status, you must use the Skills List for the country in which you resided as a permanent resident. This should be listed on your form DS-2019.
Step 2: Is your field of specialized knowledge/skill on your country’s skills list? Find your field of specialized knowledge/skill on the List of skills required in your country.
Note: If your field of specialized knowledge/skill is not listed, find the broader, more general subject group that it falls under. Every field of specialized knowledge/skill is listed on the Master Skills List or is part of a broader, more general subject group.
The 2024 Skills List applies to J exchange visitors who are admitted in J status, or who obtained J status, on or after December 9, 2024. If you were admitted to the United States in J status or obtain J status on or after December 9, 2024, and your country is on the 2024 Skills List, you are subject to the two-year home country physical presence requirement based on the Skills List.
If you were admitted to the United States in J status or obtained J status before December 9, 2024, and your country is not on the 2024 Skills List, you are not subject to the two-year home country physical presence requirement based on the Skills List; however, you may be subject to the requirement based on funding from the U.S. government or your home country government, or if you received graduate medical education or training in the United States.
