Submit online application and a non-refundable application fee
- Be prepared to submit official documentation which substantiates your education and employment qualifications.
Conduct a video interview to demonstrate English proficiency
- English proficiency is a requirement for this program. The video interview usually lasts about 15 minutes. If the result of this assessment is not satisfactory, another assessment can be arranged after one month with a nominal fee.
Application Evaluation
- Stanley Prep evaluates your complete application and issues a pre-acceptance decision within approximately 2 weeks. During this step, a Stanley Prep staff member may reach out with additional questions.
Receive a pre-acceptance letter, a program agreement, and a program fee invoice
- Expect to receive the pre-acceptance package in an email. Please let us know if you don’t receive it within two weeks after the English assessment, and we will make sure to resolve the issues.
Submit an electronically signed program agreement, consent & waiver forms, and evidence of program fee payment
- Follow the instructions in the pre-acceptance email to upload those electronically signed documents. Uploading the payment receipt you get from your bank would allow us to track your payment and expedite the process. Currently, we only accept a wire transfer of funds.
Submit all other required documents
- We collect only minimal necessary information to determine our pre-acceptance at the beginning stage. At this stage, we need to collect all required documents and evidence for Stanley Prep to issue the Invitation Letter and DS-2019 (Certificate of Eligibility for Exchange Visitor) required for your J-1 visa.
Receive the Invitation Letter and DS-2019 forms
- Your application and required documents are reviewed and processed. Please allow 2 months for document processing after the program fee is paid. Sometimes, a host university may request additional documents or take more processing time during the peak seasons or staff vacations.
Make an appointment for your visa at nearby U.S. Embassy / Consulate
- After making an appointment online, you need to attend an appointment at the U.S. Consulate or Embassy with the original DS-2019. Visa approval and issuance are at the discretion of the consular official. Visa appointment and processing wait times vary by city and time of year. On average, this process takes 2-4 weeks. Up-to-date information can be found on the U.S. Department of State website.