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I am a British citizen and have applied for a J-1 visa as I will be a camp counselor in the summer. My camp dates are 2nd June to 27th August however I'll need to fly on 1st June.

I entered my intended arrival date as 2nd June, will I be allowed to fly out?

I haven't yet received my visa though and still need to go to the US Embassy for an interview. I want to make sure that I have enough time to fly into the States. I don't want them to stop me at the border and say you can't enter until tomorrow!

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  • Typically J visa questions are discouraged here, the appropriate site is the Expat forum at expatriates.stackexchange.com although I note yours is a short duration progra. USA visas unlike many other visas like the UK and Schengen visas are issued such that the validity dates start from the day of issue. Basically on the day it is issued to you, you're able to travel on it even if the dates of travel you provided hasn't come yet. – Augustine of Hippo Feb 21 '17 at 21:29
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    J-1 can enter up to 30 days before the start of the program. – user102008 Feb 21 '17 at 21:35
  • @ZachLipton since US visas are valid from the date of issue it seems unlikely if not impossible for anyone to be in possession of a visa that is not yet valid. – phoog Feb 21 '17 at 23:33
  • @phoog Ack! Thank you. I was getting my US and Schengen visas confused. – Zach Lipton Feb 22 '17 at 0:01
  • @SheikPaul and phoog - whilst what you've said is correct, it's also not relevant. The visa will be valid from the day of issue, so the person can indeed "travel", however they will NOT be admitted into the US in J-1 status unless their programs starts within 30 days. As a UK citizen they would be allowed enter in WT (visa waiver) status, but then would need to leave the country and re-enter within the 30 days before the program starts. As the question asker is only looking to enter a few days before, this is not relevant, but your comments are at best misleading. – Doc Feb 22 '17 at 2:09
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J-1 Visa Exchange Visitor Program

How long before my J-1 program starts can I arrive in the United States? How long can I remain after my program ends?

You may not arrive more than 30 days before the program start date shown on your DS-2019. Upon completion of your exchange program, you have a grace period of 30 days to depart the United States.

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