Cultural Exchange Visas 

Conditions of Visa:

• Cannot exceed 15 months.
• Must have foreign residence.
• Must be employed under the same wages and working conditions as domestic workers.
• Limitation on admission. If person has spent 15 months in U.S. under a a Q visa they cannot be readmitted under the same status until physically outside of the U.S. for 1 year.

Requirements for Program Approval. 

All the following criteria must be met: 

Interaction with American public: Program must take place in school, museum, business or other establishment where the American public or a segment of the public sharing a common cultural interest, is exposed to aspects of a foreign culture as part of a structured program. Private homes or isolated business settings do not qualify. 

Cultural component which must be designed on the whole "to exhibit or explain the attitude, customs, history, heritage, philosophy or traditions" of the person's country. Standard educational activities such as courses or lectures are acceptable. 

Work Component. The work must serve as the vehicle to achieve the cultural objective and cannot be separate from it. 

Requirements for foreign national:

• Must be 18 at time petition filed;
• Must be qualified to perform work;
• Must have ability to communicate cultural attributes of country;
• Must have resided and been physically present outside the U.S. for the immediate prior year if previously admitted as Q.2.