To apply and qualify for a J-1 Visa, you need to:
- Present to CICD a valid training or internship position at a host company in the USA that you have already found. You can do this by researching organizations and contacting them directly, and then coming to CICD to work with you and your host company to finalize the Training plan, contracts and visa documentation.
- Or
- Select from CICD’s list of current internship and training opportunities on our position listings page. If you qualify for one of those positions, CICD will work with you and your host company to finalize the Training plan, contracts and visa documentation.
- Know English well enough to perform successfully in the proposed training/intern position, and commit to leaving the U.S. within thirty (30) days of the last day of their scheduled J-1 Internship/Training program .
- Apply for the J-1 Intern program if you are a foreign national who is currently enrolled in and pursuing studies at a degree- or certificate-granting post-secondary academic institution outside of the United States, or if you are a foreign national who has graduated from such an institution no more than twelve (12) months before the official start date of the proposed J-1 Internship program, and if you intend to enter the United States to participate in a clearly structured, directly managed, work-based internship program which is directly related to your specific field of study. The maximum duration of J-1 Internship Programs is twelve (12) months.
- You should apply for the J-1 Trainee program if you are a foreign national who has either a degree or professional certificate from a foreign post-secondary academic institution and at least one year of related prior work experience in your occupational field acquired outside the United States, or if you are a foreign national who has at least five (5) years of work experience outside the United States in your occupational field and you intend to enter the United States to participate in a clearly structured, directly managed, work-based training program in your specific occupational field. The maximum duration of J-1 Training Programs is eighteen (18) months.
Host Organization Qualification and Eligibility for the J-1 Internship or Training Program
To become a Host Organization for a J-1 Trainee or Intern, an organization needs to offer:
- A training program which runs continuously for up to eighteen (18) months, or
- An internship program which runs continuously for up to twelve (12) months in one of the following subject fields: Information, Media, Communications, Management, Business, Commerce, Finance, the Sciences, Engineering, Architecture, Mathematics, Industrial Occupations, Public Administration or Law. Click here for more information about the types of training that CICD sponsors on the J-1 Program.
- A structured training/internship program plan (T/IPP) that must both be suitable to the intern’s/trainee’s qualifications and background, and which must be approved by CICD.
- Bona fide on-the-job training or internship activities, such as assisting with appropriate projects
- Appropriate training activities that do not replace a part-time or full-time American staff member of the company.
