For people who are already a citizen in the United States, for them there are primarily 2 ways to get their spouses to the United States to live with them.

The first one would be to file an immigrant petition filing for an alien relative. This is done using the immigration petition form I-130. The next step up on the receipt of the approval on the petition filed, you would be required to visit the United States consulate in your home country and get the physical immigrant visa. The third step would be to file for your Employment Authorization Card (EAD). The fourth step would be to file for your SSN or the social security number; this is done at the social security office. This concludes the required step for the first option.

The other option would be using the Non immigrant visa for your spouse. This visa is also known as the K3 visa. This K3 visa is sort of a temporary provision for the spouses to come over to the United States and stay together on a temporary basis. While the formalities for the formal spouse immigration is still pending. There are some specifications that needs to be taken care of for the K3 visa.

The application for the K3 visa needs to be filed in the country where the actual marriage took place. It is important that the said K3 visa has to be issued from the same country where the marriage had actually taken place. Once this visa issuance is complete then the spouse can travel to the United States and wait for the time period that would be required for the, actual immigration visa paperwork to be complete.

The filing for the said visa can be done in the nearest US consulate and in case there are children staying with the spouse, as a result of the marriage such children may apply for a K4 visa. Point to be noted here is that such children should essentially be below the age of 21.

Once the spouse has traveled to the United States on such a visa, then in the States they would have to file for the Adjustment of Status (AOS) this is done by filing the form I-485.

The next most important thing would be getting the eligibility for a job thus the next logical step would be filing for the employment authorization card or the EAD.

Once that is done then is the turn for the SSN. The spouse would be required to visit the social security office, and file for the social security number there.

The whole purpose behind this J1 visa program was to increase knowledge sharing and mutual understanding, Between the United States and the rest of the world. This is because of the fact that the United States government was looking forward to establish a long lasting friendly relationships with other countries. Thus what could be better than sharing knowledge and culture as a first step towards establishing the friendship? Under the JI visa program a lot of foreign individuals travel to the United States every year and get a valuable opportunity to see, experience and understand the United States, the US life style, the people and their culture here.

A lot of reputed companies also get in their staff to train or upgrade their skills as a part of this J1 visa program. The maximum duration of the J1 Visa is for a year. The stay could however be stretched over for another additional six months, by completion of the due formalities with the office of exchange coordination and designation. If you are a foreign national and you have come here to the United States as a part of the J1 visa program that certainly means that you would be allowed to go to office of the sponsorer. Take all the kind of trainings that would be involved. But you should not be involved in any direct production. As far as the salary goes you would be eligible for the minimum wages prevalent in the United States at that point of time. Please note that you are eligible to the wages declared either by the state or the center which ever is higher. This would be considered as the cost that you would incur to live in the United States for that period of time. Apart from that you would also be entitled to receive the wages from the country that you come from originally.

Overall the J1 Visa program is a good experience and enriches a person. They get to know of the life in the states. While people they come and meet with they also get a flavor of the cultural back ground the visitor is from. Thus this program can be termed as mutually beneficial for both the parties.