The International Student Visitor Program

ACPE cannot renew a J-1 visa. Anyone currently on a J-1 must return to their home country for 2 years before they are eligible for a new J-1. This is a US State Department policy; not an ACPE policy. To our knowledge, all appeals of the J-1's 18-month stay limit have been denied.
Because the J-1 no longer works for SES/CEC folks, we asked Alexander Volpe, an expert in student and religious visas, to offer an opinion of our best options. ACPE is happy to provide letters of support, consultation, and recommendations for these options; we are not, however, able to provide funding for legal fees, travel, or applications.
Some folks have been successful in obtaining an H1-B visa. We are happy to support such efforts; however, please be advised that the newest guidance for such visas is that the recipient must earn at least $100,000 (thus making them even harder to obtain).
Required J-1 Visa Application Materials
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The ACPE office will work with you, but the following deadlines will assure you timely attention to your international student application:
January 1: accepting international students for summer and submission of all materials to ACPE
March 1: accepting international students for the August-September-October unit and submission of all materials to ACPE
ACPE is not authorized to process a change of visa status request for international students currently in the United States. All visa certificates that we issue must be approved at a U.S. Embassy in the student’s home country.
A current application packet and training plan is available here:
If you have additional questions about ACPE's international student visitor program, contact Kimberly Yates in the ACPE office.