DS VISA STUDENT EXCHANGE WITH AFICE

Thank you for your interest in becoming an international exchange student through AFICE. Our Inbound J-1 / DS-2019 exchange visitor program enables high school-aged students from around the world the opportunity to live with a family here in the United States and learn firsthand about the American way of life. As an AFICE Exchange Student, you will live as a member of your host family, attending the local high school for one academic school year, and becoming part of the community in your new home town. Student exchange can be challenging, but can often result in lifelong bonds, rewarding relationships, and valuable experience that can be found no other way.

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Whether you call it Foreign Exchange, Student Exchange, Cultural Exchange, or Youth Exchange, the idea is the same: bringing the world closer together, promoting international understanding via personal relationships. The AFICE Inbound program offers its participants the opportunity to make new friends and become part of a worldwide family. Many hosts and students remain in contact for the rest of their lives, visiting each other and participating in family events for decades to come.

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Naturally, there are certain qualifications: AFICE students must be no younger than fifteen and no older than seventeen and a half years old at the time their exchange year begins. AFICE students must currently be enrolled in school, have good grades, and be able to speak and comprehend English well enough to participate in an American high school with no special assistance.

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AFICE is designated by the United States Department of State as a J Visa / DS Visa sponsor for the Secondary School Exchange Visitor Program, and we provide each student with the necessary DS-2019 form that is used to obtain the J-1 visa. It is important to note that a J-1 visa cannot be obtained without a DS-2019 and the form can only be issued by a J-1 visa sponsor such as AFICE.

 

Please note: the DS-2019 form is very similar in function to the I-20 form that is used to obtain an F-1 Visa. If you have been told you need an I-20 form, it may turn out that the DS-2019 is what you are really trying to obtain. You can read about some of the differences between the J-1 and F-1 visa programs here.

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If you are interested in becoming an exchange student in the United States, please fill out the form below. We will contact you with information on how to start the process. If you live in the United States and wish to host an exchange student, please use our Host Family Contact Form. Thank you!