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Dec 12, 2025: Updated Exchange Visitor Skills List released

On December 9, 2024, the U.S. Department of State released an updated Exchange Visitor Skills List. 

What is the Skills List?

The Skills List identifies countries that the U.S. government deems to have a critical need for individuals with specialized knowledge or skills in certain fields. If you are a citizen or legal permanent resident of a country on this list and you will be engaged in a field of specialized knowledge or skill associated with that country during your J-1 program, you may be subject to the 212(e) two-year home country physical presence requirement.

The 212(e) Two-Year Home Country Physical Presence Requirement

The 212(e) requirement mandates that certain J-1 exchange visitors must return to their home country for a minimum of two years after completing their exchange program in the U.S. This requirement is intended to ensure that countries with critical shortages of certain skills can benefit from the experience and expertise of these exchange visitors.

Key Changes in the Updated Skills List

The updated Skills List removes the 212(e) two-year home residency requirement for J-1 visa holders from several countries, including:

  • Brazil

  • China

  • India

  • Indonesia

  • Saudi Arabia

  • South Korea

  • Sri Lanka

  • United Arab Emirates 

Please review the ⁠Department of State updated Skill List by Country to see which countries remain on the list.  

J-1 exchange visitors who would have previously been subject to the 212(e) requirement based on the Skills List, are no longer subject to this condition if their country is no longer listed.

  • Retroactive release from 212(e) obligations is not available to exchange visitors when only a skill area is removed from the list, but the country itself remains on the list.

  • Exchange visitors can still be subject to the 212(e) requirement based on government funding or graduate medical education/training, even if their country is no longer listed.

What Does This Mean for You?

If you are a J-1 exchange visitor and your country has been removed from the Skills List, you will no longer be subject to the 212(e) requirement based on the Skills List. This provides more flexibility for exchange visitors to pursue various U.S. immigration statuses without needing to first fulfill the two-year home country physical presence obligation. 

  • You can still be subject to the 212(e) requirement based on government funding or graduate medical education/training.

To learn more about the conditions that make an individual subject to the 212(e) requirement, its impact, and how to fulfill the requirement, review the ISSS 212(e) webpage and contact the ISSS advisor assigned to your department if you have questions.