welcome to the United States!
ENJOY YOUR STAY
We are so excited for you to begin your J-1 cultural exchange program in the USA! Please note we want to ensure that you enjoy a safe and successful J-1 cultural exchange training program.
Upon arrival in the USA, you MUST activate your J-1 program with HPUSA and your sponsor organization. You will need to CLICK HERE to complete your HPUSA Arrival Check-In Form and review the HPUSA Welcome to USA information. This includes details on the next few steps you need to take as you begin this journey as well as important information to remember while on the program. You MUST also follow any check-in instructions provided by your sponsor organization.
Once you complete your arrival check-in, your sponsor will activate your program in SEVIS, which is the online government database that monitors all exchange visitors in the United States. Failure to activate your program after your arrival will automatically cancel your program and you will not be allowed to continue!
Please be aware of the following:
- You cannot register before you arrive in the U.S. or before the start date on your DS-2019 form.
- If you are staying in a hotel or apartment, you MUST include a room or apartment number, no P.O. (Postal Office) boxes will be accepted.
- Your address cannot be the same as your host company address (unless you are actually living in the same building).
If you move, you must update your sponsor and HPUSA with your new address. If you do not provide this information correctly, your SEVIS registration will be delayed.
You also cannot apply for a Social Security Card until you are correctly registered with SEVIS.
During your program, the following pages are available for your reference and should answer general questions that may arise during your cultural exchange training program in the USA. You should read through each section carefully.
