Q-1 visa

The Q-1 visa is a non-immigrant visa which allows travel to the United States to participate in a cultural exchange program. The purpose of the program is to allow for practical training and employment, and the sharing of history, culture, and traditions.{{cite web|title=Q Cultural Exchange|url=https://www.uscis.gov/working-united-states/temporary-workers/q-cultural-exchange|website=US Citizenship and Immigration Services|access-date=11 October 2016}}

Roughly 2,000 Q-1 visas have been issued in each fiscal year from 2014 to 2018.[https://travel.state.gov/content/dam/visas/Statistics/AnnualReports/FY2018AnnualReport/FY18AnnualReport%20-%20TableXVIA.pdf Table XVI(A): Classes of Nonimmigrants Issued Visas (Including Border Crossing Cards): Fiscal Years 2014-2018], Report of the Visa Office 2018, U.S. Department of State (2018). The visa is frequently utilized by the Walt Disney Company to staff the various pavilions around the world showcase portion of its Epcot theme park at Walt Disney World.{{cite web|url=https://scholarship.law.ufl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=https://www.bing.com/&httpsredir=1&article=1096&context=flr|title=The Wonderful World of Disney Visas|last=Johnson|first=Kit|date=February 8, 2013|publisher=Florida Law Review|access-date=14 September 2019}}{{cite web|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2015/06/disney-h1b-visas-immigration-layoffs/396149/|title=America's Mixed Feelings About Immigrant Labor: Disney-Layoffs Edition|last=Lam|first=Bourree|date=July 8, 2015|publisher=The Atlantic|access-date=14 September 2019}} Because of this, the visa is sometimes referred to as the "Disney visa."{{cite web|url=https://www.scpr.org/blogs/multiamerican/2011/05/26/7419/its-a-small-world-the-story-of-the-disney-visa/|title=It's a Small World: The story of the 'Disney visa'|last=Berestein Rojas|first=Leslie|date=May 26, 2011|publisher=Southern California Public Radio|access-date=14 September 2019}}

Participants must be 18 years or older and be able to communicate effectively regarding elements of their culture. The duration of stay may be up to 15 months, and participants must then remain outside the US for a period of one year before they may be admitted under a different visa type.{{cite book |date=2013 |title=Immigration pocket field guide|publisher=Matthew Bender & Company, Inc|page=29 }}

The Q-1 visa is similar to the J-1 visa, except that J-1 cultural exchange programs must be designated by the US Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.{{cite web|title=Exchange Visitor Visa|url=https://travel.state.gov/content/visas/en/study-exchange/exchange.html|website=US Department of State Bureau of Consular Affairs|access-date=11 October 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170129071309/https://travel.state.gov/content/visas/en/study-exchange/exchange.html|archive-date=29 January 2017|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}