I was under the impression that a J-1 visa is only really suitable for someone who has completed their PPL and is looking to complete a course (61 or 141) to CPL/IR/CFII standard. Upon completion, you're free to work in your field of study, but only for a limited period. As Icerman pointed out, there is a restriction on people who have a degree of flying experience (I didn't realise it was 100TT) so I would assume is no good for conversion from a JAA CPL/ATPL.
Moving off-topic slightly, I have a similar problem to Richardlong. I'm a UK citizen: CAA class 1 unfit, FAA class 1 fit. It's a bit of a punt, but I'm lucky enough to be able to afford to complete an FAA CPL/IR during my weekends in the UK in the hope that something will come along in the future and enable me to fly commercially. If I can't go commercial (somewhere in the world), then I've got my day-job to fall back on, safe in the knowlegde that I've given commercial flying a go and will suffer no regrets in later life. I'd be interested to hear from anybody from the UK who has managed to go down one of the FAA routes and is flying commercially, whether it be on N-registered biz-jets in the UK or for an airline somewhere else in the world...
Apologies for hijacking the thread.
waterpau