J-1 Intern and Trainee Training Plan Service: Checked Before the Sponsor Sees It
Your host knows the training. We know what the sponsor looks for.
What We Do for Your Training Plan
Together with your host, we draft the training plan. Your host signs it; the sponsor approves it. We understand the sponsor’s expectations and handle its questions as part of your entire J-1 internship or trainee sponsorship.
At a glance
What You Get
- Every training plan checked by us before the sponsor sees it.
- Help with goals, phases and wording, only where your plan needs it.
- The sponsor’s questions about the plan answered by us.
- Included in every J-1 internship or trainee sponsorship with us. No processing fee.
Your Price
The training plan check is part of every J-1 internship or trainee sponsorship with us. You pay the sponsorship price and nothing extra for the plan.
Health insurance, the SEVIS fee and the DS-2019 come with every sponsorship price. You pay no processing fee. The visa fee of $185 goes to the US consulate, and a visa integrity fee set by US law may apply, see Visa Fee (MRV). Only want a plan checked, without the sponsorship? Ask us.
How It Works
- 1Your free checkThe check tells you whether the program fits and what you pay.
- 2We tell your host what countsWe explain the sponsor’s expectations before drafting begins: clear goals, genuine training, supervision and evaluations.
- 3Your host writes the planYour supervisor describes the training in the DS-7002 with you, from the goals and tasks to the phases of a traineeship.
- 4We check it and help where neededOur review covers every line. Where details are missing or unclear, we explain the changes to your host and help word them. A plan that is already ready goes forward unchanged.
- 5Signatures, sponsor and DS-2019After you and your host sign, we submit the plan with the application and handle the sponsor’s questions. The sponsor must then approve and sign the plan before you receive your DS-2019.
Send us the plan with your documents four to six weeks before your planned start. Our target for completing your sponsorship is one to two weeks once we have everything.
What We Check in Every Plan
- Goals and skills: clear goals and the skills you gain, for every phase
- Real training: it builds on what you already know and doesn’t repeat your last job
- Tasks: specific tasks and, where it fits, the departments you work in
- Supervision: a supervisor on site and how your progress is reviewed, see Evaluations
- Hours: full-time, at least 32 hours a week, see Working Hours
- Limits: no excluded work and at most 20 percent clerical tasks, see Program Exclusions
The form itself, who signs it and when, is in the library under DS-7002.
Why Training Plans Come Back
A sponsor sends a plan back when it reads like a job, not like training. These are the points we look at first.
| What the sponsor sees | What we do about it |
|---|---|
| Vague tasks such as “support the team” | We ask for specific tasks and what you learn from each one. |
| A plan that repeats your last job | We make sure it builds on your experience instead of repeating it. |
| A role that reads like a job to fill | We check that the role exists for your training, not for a labor need. |
| A traineeship without phases or a timeline | We check that every phase has a method and a timeline. |
| Hotel or restaurant training without rotations | From six months on, we check for at least three rotations. |
| No supervisor named, no evaluations planned | We check who supervises you and when your progress is reviewed. |
For Host Companies
Hosting a J-1 intern or trainee for the first time? Before your supervisor starts writing, we explain what the sponsor expects. This reduces the changes needed afterwards. Your company remains responsible as host for writing the plan, training, supervision and signing.
- Post a J-1 positionYou have a paid position and want candidates from abroad.
- J-1 Visa for CompaniesYou already know whom you want to host.
Is It for You?
It is for US hosts writing a J-1 internship or trainee training plan. It also helps interns and trainees whose host is new to training on a J-1 Visa. The J-1 Visa Check on this page tells you whether the program fits. The duties of a host are in the library under Host Company.
Extras
FAQs
Do you write the training plan?
No. Describing the training is the host’s responsibility, because it is the one providing it. We explain the sponsor’s expectations, review the plan and help word it where necessary. It remains your host’s plan.
Can we book the check without the sponsorship?
The check is part of every J-1 internship or trainee sponsorship with us. If you only want a training plan checked, ask us.
Our plan was declined elsewhere. Can you still help?
It may be possible, depending on the reason. Send the plan along with the sponsor’s explanation. We review what can be corrected and let you know. See J-1 Application Rescue.
Which sponsor approves the plan?
The sponsor that issues your DS-2019 reviews your plan, approves it and signs it. Our partners are sponsors designated by the US Department of State, with whom we work directly. We are an official international representative of our main sponsor, CIEE.
The Bottom Line
Your host knows the training, we know what the sponsor looks for, and we draft the plan together. We can begin right away once you send us your host’s contact.
In the VisaNerd Library
- DS-7002The Training/Internship Placement Plan. You, your host company and your sponsor all sign it.
- EvaluationsThe written reviews of your progress that every J-1 internship and traineeship includes.
- Program ExclusionsThe kinds of positions and duties that J-1 internships and traineeships are not allowed to include.
- Host CompanyThe US organization where a J-1 intern or trainee does the training program.
- Site VisitThe sponsor visits a host company new to it that has fewer than 25 employees or annual revenue below $3 million.
- Working HoursJ-1 internships and traineeships are full-time programs of at least 32 hours a week.
