J1 Programmes to the USA - How they work...

If you want to go to the USA on an Internship, to get some professional experience, or even (as long as you are a full time university student) to get a summer job - you will need to apply for a J1 visa.
The US Government doesn’t allow you to apply for this on your own - in order to get the legal documents that allow you to attend an interview at the US Embassy you need to go through a LEGAL SPONSOR.
A Legal Sponsor is an organisation that has been authorised by the US Department of State to process applications, and to make sure that both you and the Company you are going to in America are eligible for the programme. It is the legal sponsor that agrees to take responsibility for your presence in the USA - not your US Host Company!

Remember - even if your position in the USA is unpaid, you still need to apply for the J1 visa!

Our partner CIEE (www.ciee.org) is the largest and longest running legal sponsor in the US, and each year over 35000 (thirty five thousand) students and young people from all over the world go on a CIEE Programme.
Click here to see an overview of the stages involved in getting the J1 visa

For the Internship USA, GRADUATE Internship USA And Professional Career Training USA Programmes, there are two parts to the application you send to IST Plus

▪ The Participant Application (the one you fill in) You can download these from the ‘Download’ page of this site

• The DS-7002 Training/ Internship Placement Plan (the one your ‘Host Company’ in the US completes, signs and sends to you) - for more information on the DS-7002 please see http://www.ciee.org/trainee/newhost/nextsteps/DS-7002.html

For Summer Work and Travel USA (this is only available to those who are presently in full time university level education), the application process is easier!

All you need to do is complete the Summer Work and Travel Application form, and ask your prospective employer in the US to fill in the Employment Offer Agreement form (and send to you). Summer 2010 applications are avalaible NOW (click here to go to our download page). If you do not have an employer for summer 2009 we may be able to help - please email info@istplus.com for more information or use the CONTACT US link on the top menu.

For Camp Counsellor USA, please contact info@istplus.com for more information

Once we’ve received the completed application and supporting documents from you, you should allow at least 6 weeks for the process - and remember at busy times of the year (ie the summer) the US Embassy delays can mean you need to allow for even longer.
To see the estimated present wait times for interviews at US Embassies and posts worldwide, please see http://travel.state.gov/visa/temp/wait/tempvisitors_wait.php