J-1 Student Intern

Program Overview

The J-1 Student Intern program is a work-based learning program that allows students who are currently enrolled in a degree program in their home country to participate in an internship in the US that will fulfill the educational objectives of their current degree program.

Note: The J-1 Student Intern category is different from J-1 students who are enrolled at the university as degree-seeking students or exchange students.

Student Intern Eligibility

To be eligible for a J-1 Student Intern sponsorship, the participant must meet these conditions:

Be in good academic standing with their home institution.
Participate in an internship that fulfills the educational objectives of their current degree program at their home institution.
Must return to their home institution to complete their degree requirements upon completion of the internship.
Have verifiable English language skills sufficient to carry out the internship.
Have sufficient funds to support self and dependents for the stay in the US.

Internship Program Requirements

The purpose of the J-1 Student Intern program is to promote international exchange, therefore, internships in this program must:

expose the student to American techniques, methodologies, and technology.
expand the student’s current knowledge.
not exist to serve a labor need for the department.
not place students in positions of unskilled labor or any clinical/patient care settings.
not displace any US workers (full or part time).
develop procedures for evaluating all student interns.
verify the student intern has sufficient finances to support self and dependents for the stay in the US.

Internship Program Duration

Must be for a minimum of three weeks.
Must include at least 32 hours/week of work and cannot consist of more than 20% clerical work.
Maximum 12 months for each degree.