“Exchange visitor” is a regulatory term of art for international researchers and medical graduates who come to the US on a J-1 visa. There are over a dozen J-1 categories, but the most common at UAB are Research Scholar, Short-Term Scholar, Alien Physician, and Student Intern. While paid employment is allowed as a benefit incidental to holding J-1 immigration status, the J-1 visa is not strictly an “employment visa,” meaning that the exchange visitor's primary purpose in the US is for training. At UAB, a J-1 exchange visitor may be a Postdoctoral Employee, Postdoctoral Trainee, Resident, Fellow, or Visiting Scholar. Depending on the exchange visitor's job assignment category, the process will begin either here in ISSS (for 20/21 appointments as Postdoctoral Employees and Trainees and for 07 appointments as Residents/Fellows) or via the International Visiting Scholar process (for 02/04/60 appointments for self- and/or government-funded exchange visitors). Even if your exchange visitor's process begins via the International Visiting Scholar route, you will still need to liaise with ISSS for issuance of the J-1 immigration document (Form DS-2019) that will allow your exchange visitor to enter the US.

According to the US Department of State, which oversees all J-1 exchange visitor programs nationwide, J-1 opportunities exist "to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries by means of educational and cultural exchange." The Department of State expects J-1 Exchange Visitors to return to their home country at the end of their research or training opportunity to share the knowledge they acquired in the US.