More than three-quarters of a million people were granted J and F Visas for the US in 2008 – a record number compared to previous years.

New figures released yesterday show that last year 392,089 J Visas and 364,432 F Visas were issued to people travelling to the US on work and travel, internship, student, and teacher programmes.

US J Visas and F Visas are non-immigrant visas which allow young people to experience life in the US on a short-term basis for study or work or travel.

Because most J and F Visa holders are only temporarily working in the US, the majority will overpay tax and are due a refund when the tax year ends. Taxback.com F Visa holders get average US tax refunds of $1005 while J Visa holders get on average $800.

The 2008 US tax year ended on December 31st so if you were one of the 750,000 people who went to the US last year on a J or F Visa check out our free US tax refund calculator to see how much money you can claim back.

If you're going to the US in 2009, you can apply for a US tax refund at the end of this year.