Editorial policy

Sources

Every page ends with a numbered list of its sources, each linked and dated; every date, number, rule and attribution in the text comes from one of them. Visa, DS-2019, SEVIS, I-94, grace-period and program rules come only from government sources: the U.S. Department of State (J1Visa and travel.state.gov), the Code of Federal Regulations (22 CFR part 62), the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Taxes come from the IRS, Social Security numbers from the Social Security Administration, wages and overtime from the Department of Labor. A sponsor's own page is cited only for that sponsor's fees, dates or procedures, and named as such. Forums, social media groups and anonymous blogs are never a source.

Checking

Before a page is published, every sentence that states a fact is read against the passage it comes from. If the source does not say it, the sentence goes. The date at the top of each page is the last time it was checked; each source in the list shows the day it was read.

What changes

Visa fees, the SEVIS fee, minimum wages and tax forms change. A fee, rate or form on these pages is what the source said on the date shown. Confirm current figures with your sponsor or the agency named in the note before you pay or file.

Not advice

These pages explain how the program and its rules work. They are not legal, immigration or tax advice. For a decision about your own status, talk to your sponsor's responsible officer, an immigration attorney or a tax professional.

Money

Some pages carry a "Plan it" box with practical next steps for insurance, phones or money transfers. Paid partner links, when added, are labelled "Promoted · affiliate links" and tagged sponsored; they never decide what a page covers. See the affiliate disclosure.

Corrections

Errors are fixed and logged on the corrections page. Write through the contact page.