J-1 Visa Concierge Service for EACCNY Members

EACCNY Helps Members to Attract Global Interns & Trainees

The European American Chamber of Commerce New York (EACCNY) is partnering with InterExchange to help our member companies bring qualified students & young professionals to the United States.

The J-1, or Exchange Visitor visa, allows university students and young professionals from abroad to come to the United States for up to 18 months for full-time, paid exchange programs at eligible EACC member companies. They are a great opportunity to expose participants from across Europe to your US operations and with that an essential building block to develop international competency for your staff and to prepare future team members for taking role in your organisation.

The EACC’s J-Visa Program offers our members a personalized concierge service free of charge to the host company with a dedicated coordinator to process your J-Visa applications and competitive pricing for applicants.

Sponsored fields of training include: Arts & Culture | The Sciences, Engineering, Architecture, Mathematics & Industrial Occupations | Management, Business, Commerce & Finance | Hospitality & Tourism | Public Administration & Law | Information Media & Communications

This service is only offered to EACC Members. For more information about the EACCNY and how to join, you can explore the “Membership” tab.

Program Eligibility

Host Eligibility

  • Be an EACC member in good standing throughout the duration of the program
  • Abide by all federal, state and local labor and occupational health and safety laws, including compensation requirements and regulations.
    • Intern programs exceeding 6 months must be paid at least the federal, state, or local minimum wage (whichever is highest)
    • All Trainee programs must be paid at least the federal, state, or local minimum wage, whichever is highest, regardless of program length.
  • Provide a professional training program in an office-type setting, with no more than 20% clerical or basic work.
  • Training provided to participants must be in-person.
  • Note: it is important for hosts to maintain at least 5 full-time, onsite employees per J-1 participant to ensure adequate training and supervision.
  • Be in business and operational for at least six months.
  • Have an English-language website and company-based email addresses.
  • Hold an interview with the candidate via phone, webcam, or in person.
  • Consent to a site visit by our program administrator (for a one-time $250 fee) prior to program approval, if required [req. if a company has less than 25 employees & less than $3 million in revenue].
  • Agree to complete mandatory program evaluations and to notify our partner, InterExchange, in case of an emergency or any changes to the training plan or supervision.

Intern Eligibility

  • Currently enrolled full-time in a degree or non-vocational, professional certificate program in a college, university, or post-secondary academic institution of higher education outside the U.S.

OR;

  • Have graduated from such an institution no more than 12 months before program start date, and submit an application more than 8 weeks before this eligibility expires.
  • Interns must have finished at least 1 year of their degree program and have completed sufficient academic coursework in their academic field before their program start date in order to be sufficiently prepared for their U.S. internship.

Trainee Eligibility

  • Must hold a degree or non-vocational, professional certificate from a college, university or other post-secondary academic institution of higher education outside the U.S.
  • and at least 1 year of related professional experience from outside the U.S.
  • Note: This visa is targeting early career professionals, and not established executives (the latter should apply for ‘L’ or similar work visas)

OR candidates without a graduate degree;

  • Have at least 5 years of related, full-time professional experience from outside the U.S.
  • All trainee applicants must also be able to document their current and previous related occupational experience from current/former employers outside the U.S.

Application Process, Timeline & Fees

Host Application

  • Sign up with European American Chamber of Commerce to host an international intern/trainee
  • Receive your account login information from InterExchange – an account representative will help you get started!
  • Invite the intern or trainee to the online application.
  • Complete fillable sections on the online application
  • Upload required documents
  • Create training plan
  • Sign Host Employer Agreement

Participant Application

  • Complete fillable sections on the online application
  • Upload required documents
  • Pay the full program fee
  • Review and sign the Training Plan
  • Submit application

Timeline

It is recommended that your intern or trainee submit their application at least 6-8 weeks before their anticipated start date to allow sufficient time to complete the review and for your candidate to attend their embassy interview and receive their visa.

Fees

There are no program, visa, or placement fees to participate as a host employer. If you have not hosted through InterExchange previously and do not have at least 25 employees or $3 million in annual revenue, a one-time fee of $250 will be required for our partner (InterExchange) to conduct a site visit.

The intern or trainee is typically responsible for paying the program fees for their visa sponsorship. However, if you would like to cover the cost of sponsorship, you may do so.

For a 3-day review, expedited processing is available for an additional fee.

For more information and how to apply, please reach out to marketing@eaccny.com!

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