The U.S. State Department’s recent update to the J-1 Exchange Visitors Skills List aims to allow more researchers, especially from India and China, to remain in the U.S. without facing the two-year foreign residence requirement. This policy change, which is retroactive, removes these countries from the list, facilitating their ability to transition to other visa statuses like H-1B or permanent residency. This adjustment follows other favorable changes by the Biden administration, including easier access to O-1A visas and clarifications for employment-based immigrants with extraordinary abilities.
