The Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange Act (also known as the Fulbright-Hays Act) was established in 1961 to enhance the mutual understanding between Americans and the rest of the world. It created the Exchange Visitor Program, now rebranded as BridgeUSA, where college and university students and fresh graduates worldwide can come to the United States under the J1 Visa.

Under the J1 Visa BridgeUSA program, the country welcomes around 300,000 participants from 200 countries annually. It allows foreign nationals to participate in work-and-study-based programs such as teaching, studying, or receiving on-the-job training for several weeks or years.

The BridgeUSA program is administered by the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.