Apply to a school, get admitted through your sponsor, receive your Form DS-2019, fill in the DS-160 application, pay the U.S. visa fee $185, book the visa appointment, prepare the documents, attend the interview, the consular officer decides on your visa, pay DHL €10, get your passport, travel.
You live in Kosovo. Your passport is from Kosovo. Going to the U.S. Visa type Exchange visitor (J1). J-1 program: College and University Student.
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| Fee for the U.S. visa for University Student (J-1)Paid to the U.S. Department of State, before the interview. Not refunded. Participants in some U.S. government programs do not pay it.2,3 | $185 |
|---|---|
| DHL's serviceThe passport with the visa delivered home. Only if the visa is approved.4 | €10 |
| The A Company's serviceThe A Company applies to a school for you, applies to your J-1 sponsor for you, fills in the DS-160 application, pays the U.S. visa fee, books the visa appointment, prepares the documents for the interview, and pays DHL for passport delivery. Paid to The A Company, when the service is done.24 | €100 |
Total€275
At the European Central Bank rate of October 14, 2026: €1 = $1.1195
A school or institution in the United States that accepts you into its program. For a student visa, the school must be SEVP-approved. For a J-1, Form DS-2019 is issued only after the institution has accepted you.5
A designated sponsor, usually your U.S. college or university, issues your Form DS-2019. A J-1 student is funded by a government, an international organization or a source other than personal or family money, or comes under an exchange agreement.6,3
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Sickness and accident insuranceInsurance that covers you for sickness or accidents. It must be in effect for the whole time you take part in the exchange program. Your sponsor checks that it meets the requirements.7
Letter of acceptance from the host institutionYour acceptance by the institution or organization where you will take part in the program. The Form DS-2019 is issued only after it.7
Once you are accepted, you are registered in SEVIS and your sponsor issues Form DS-2019, the document you need for the J-1 visa.3
The online visa application, at ceac.state.gov. Print its confirmation page and bring it to the interview.3
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The visa application fee. It is paid from your profile in the online appointment system. By card online, in euros or in dollars, or in cash at VFS in Pristina, Lidhja e Prizrenit St., No. 20, Tophane, with the deposit slip printed from your profile and an ID. This comes before the appointment, because you can book the interview only once it is paid. Then the payment is activated within one business day and can be used to book an appointment for one year. The fee is not returned if the visa is refused. Keep the receipt number, because it cannot be replaced if lost and you need it for the appointment.2,8,9
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In 15 days
An estimate for the wait time the U.S. Department of State publishes for F, M and J interviews at the U.S. Embassy in Pristina. Updated by the U.S. Department of State on October 21, 2026. Checked by The A Company on November 3, 2026. You book your date after paying the fee.18
Book the interview at the U.S. Embassy in Pristina online, on the official appointment site. You may enter the United States no earlier than 30 days before your program starts.10,3
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Your passport, the DS-160 confirmation, the fee receipt, and your Form DS-2019. The officer may ask for more, such as proof of your plans after the program.3
PassportValid for travel to the United States.3
DS-160 confirmationThe confirmation page of your DS-160, printed.3
Form DS-2019From your program sponsor.3
PhotoAs the U.S. visa photo rules ask.3
Visa appointment confirmationYour interview appointment confirmation letter. It shows that you booked your appointment through the official appointment service.11
I-901 SEVIS fee receiptProof of your I-901 SEVIS fee payment. Printed. You need it for your visa interview.12
A consular officer interviews you and decides whether you qualify for the exchange visitor visa. If it is approved, a visa issuance fee may also apply.3
U.S. Embassy Pristina
If the visa is approved, you may pay a visa issuance fee, if one applies to your nationality. You are told how your passport with the visa will be returned to you.14
If your visa is approved, the passport comes back through the courier service. You get an email or a text message once the passport is ready.16
Do not buy airline tickets until you have received your visa. If you are allowed to enter, the CBP official gives you an admission stamp or a paper Form I-94, Arrival/Departure Record.17
A student funded by a government, an international organization or a source other than personal or family money, or one who comes under an exchange agreement between institutions or governments. Paying from your own money is the F-1 visa.6
Until you finish a degree program, or up to 24 months in a non-degree program, academic training included.6
Part time, under certain conditions such as good academic standing, and in academic training approved by your school and your sponsor.6
A visa for people approved to take part in an exchange visitor program in the United States. Its categories include au pair, camp counselor, intern, trainee, teacher, professor and research scholar, physician, college and secondary school student, and Summer Work Travel. You cannot take part in an exchange on a visitor visa or the Visa Waiver Program.3
From your program sponsor. Apply to an exchange program through a pre-approved organization in the United States. Once it accepts you, you are registered in SEVIS and the sponsor sends you the Form DS-2019. Trainees and interns also need Form DS-7002.3
If it applies to you, after your program you must live in your home country for at least 2 years in total before you can get an immigrant visa or an H, L or K visa. It applies if your program was funded by the U.S. government or your own government, if you came for graduate medical education or training, or if your field is on your country's Exchange Visitor Skills List.3
Online or at VFS. Online with a debit or credit card, or in cash at the VFS Visa Application Center in Pristina, Lidhja e Prizrenit St., No. 20, Tophane.8,9
No. The visa application fee is non-refundable.2
In 15 days. The published wait for F, M and J interviews in Pristina, when last updated on October 21, 2026.18
Generally no. Apply at the U.S. Embassy or Consulate in the country of your nationality or where you live, and be able to show you live there if that is why you apply there. Elsewhere it may be more difficult to qualify, and the fee is not refunded or transferred.21
No earlier than 30 days before your program start date. To arrive earlier you need a separate visitor (B) visa and a change of status from USCIS, approved before your program starts. Apply early: interview wait times vary.3
30 days after your program ends, to settle your affairs and leave. In that time you are no longer in J status: you may not work or continue the program, and you should not leave the United States, as you may not be let back in. If your sponsor ends your program for just cause, there is no grace period and you must leave at once.20,22
Your passport, the DS-160 confirmation page, the fee receipt if you paid before the interview, and your Form DS-2019. Trainees and interns also bring Form DS-7002. The embassy may also ask for proof of the purpose of your travel, that you will leave the United States after it, and that you can pay its costs.3
Every fact on this page comes from an official page. Last checked on . Rules change.
