Public Notice of Revised Exchange Visitor Skills List

Document Headings Document headings vary by document type but may contain the following: the agency or agencies that issued and signed a document the number of the CFR title and the number of each part the document amends, proposes to amend, or is directly related to the agency docket number / agency internal file number the RIN which identifies each regulatory action listed in the Unified Agenda of Federal Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions See the Document Drafting Handbook for more details. Department of State [Public Notice: 12555] RIN 1400-AF92 AGENCY: Department of State. ACTION: Public notice. SUMMARY: The Department of State (“Department”) is announcing an update of the Exchange Visitors Skills List (“Skills List”). The Skills List is a list of countries designated by the Secretary of State as clearly requiring the services of persons engaged in certain fields of specialized knowledge or skills. This list is used by the Department of State and the Department of Homeland Security to determine whether an individual who has been admitted into the United States as a “J” nonimmigrant exchange visitor, or who acquired such status, is subject to the two-year foreign residence requirement under Section 212(e) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (“INA”), as amended. DATES: The Exchange Visitor Skills List is applicable on December 9, 2024. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jami Thompson, Senior Regulatory Coordinator, Visa Office, Bureau of Consular Affairs, Department of State; email: VisaRegs@state.gov . SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: INA 212(e) ( 8 U.S.C. 1182(e) ) provides that certain individuals who have been admitted to the United States as “J” nonimmigrant exchange visitors, or who acquired such status in the United States, are ineligible to apply for an immigrant visa, for permanent residence, or for certain nonimmigrant visas until they have resided and been physically present in their country of na…