Post Your J-1 Internship or Trainee Position with VisaNerd

What We Do with Your J-1 Internship or Trainee Position

Your US company has a paid internship or training position and is open to a participant from abroad. You send it to us, we check whether it can work as J-1 Visa training and feature it on our job board when it fits. Candidates apply through VisaNerd. Once you have chosen someone, we handle the whole J-1 internship or trainee sponsorship until your intern or trainee holds the DS-2019.

How It Works

1. 1
   Tell us about your positionAnswer a few questions in the check on this page: the field, the pay, the length and the start of your position.
2. 2
   We check itWe look at whether the role can work as J-1 Visa training and, if it can, feature it on our job board.
3. 3
   Candidates applyInterns and trainees from abroad apply through VisaNerd, and you choose whom you want to offer the position to.
4. 4
   Training plan and company detailsWith your candidate chosen, your supervisor writes the DS-7002 with them. We check it, help with the wording where needed and collect what the sponsor needs from your company.
5. 5
   Sponsor and DS-2019We file the application, answer the sponsor’s questions, and your intern or trainee receives the DS-2019 to book the visa appointment.

Choose a start date that lets you send us all documents four to six weeks ahead. Our target is to complete sponsorship in one to two weeks once everything is in. The consulate determines the visa appointment date.

What Your Position Needs

• Pay, because we only feature paid positions
• Full-time training of at least 32 hours a week with a supervisor on site
• Real training in the participant’s field, not a labor need to fill

What a position may not include is in the library under Program Exclusions. For hotels and restaurants, see J-1 Visa hospitality and culinary training.

What We Need from Your Company

To prepare the sponsor’s review, we gather your tax number (EIN), verifiable company details including address, phone number and website, and evidence of workers’ compensation insurance or a state exemption. Together with your candidate, you write and sign the training plan and confirm duties, hours and supervision.

While the program runs, your supervisor completes the evaluations the sponsor requires, see Evaluations, and your company reports any emergency or change to the plan to the sponsor. Your company retains respon­si­bility as the host for training, supervision and pay. VisaNerd is not the employer.

What You Pay

Posting your position is free. The J-1 internship or trainee sponsorship uses our standard prices. You agree whether the company or participant pays. Each participant’s price is based on their program and training months.

Health insurance, the SEVIS fee and the DS-2019 are part of every sponsorship price. You pay no processing fee. The visa fee of $185 goes directly to the US consulate, and a visa integrity fee set by US law may apply, see Visa Fee (MRV). All months are on our J-1 Visa costs page.

Other Ways to Work with Us

• J-1 Visa for CompaniesYou already know whom you want to host? We handle the sponsorship with you directly.
• Job boardSee the paid positions open through VisaNerd right now.

Is It for Your Company?

US companies can use this service when they offer a paid internship or training position to train someone from abroad in their field. Use the check here if you are unsure whether your role qualifies. Find the host’s respon­si­bil­i­ties in the library under Host Company.

FAQs

Do we choose the candidate ourselves?

Yes. You decide whom you offer the position to. Before it issues the DS-2019, the sponsor checks the candidate, your company and the training plan.

Does our company have to become a J-1 sponsor?

No. Training and hosting are your company’s role; sponsorship is ours. Our direct partners are designated J-1 sponsors. We are an official international repre­sen­ta­tive of our main sponsor, CIEE, and also check eligibility on its behalf.

Who pays for the sponsorship, and how much is it?

You agree whether your company or the participant pays. Our standard sponsorship prices apply, including health insurance: for example, €2,420 for a nine-month internship or €4,470 for an 18-month traineeship.

Can a small company post a position?

Yes. Before hosting with the sponsor for the first time, a company with fewer than 25 employees or annual revenue below $3 million receives a sponsor visit. The sponsor charges €250 for it, see Site Visit.

What if the sponsor declines the application?

The payer, whether your company or the participant, receives the full sponsorship payment to VisaNerd back. Only a site visit already carried out at your company is excluded. The sponsor charges €250 for that visit.

The Bottom Line

You offer the paid position and the training. We check it, feature it on our job board when it fits, and handle the whole J-1 internship or trainee sponsorship for the candidate you choose. Send us your position and we start right away.

In the VisaNerd Library

• 
  Host CompanyThe US organization where a J-1 intern or trainee does the training program.
• 
  Placement (Finding a Host)The training position at a US host organization where a J-1 intern or trainee does the program. You find it yourself or through a third party working with the sponsor.
• 
  DS-7002The Training/Internship Placement Plan. You, your host company and your sponsor all sign it.
• 
  Program ExclusionsThe kinds of positions and duties that J-1 internships and traineeships are not allowed to include.
• 
  Site VisitThe sponsor visits a host company new to it that has fewer than 25 employees or annual revenue below $3 million.
• 
  EvaluationsThe written reviews of your progress that every J-1 internship and traineeship includes.
• 
  Pay & HousingWhat the J-1 rules say about pay and accommodation for interns and trainees. They set no wage, but you must be able to cover your whole stay, housing included.
• 
  Working HoursJ-1 internships and traineeships are full-time programs of at least 32 hours a week.
• 
  MonitoringHow the sponsor follows the program: supervision on site, evaluations and regular contact.
• 
  Unpaid InternshipWhen a J-1 internship can be unpaid and what wage law requires.