Visa Types
Internships
If you wish to pursue practical training through an internship with a U.S.-based employer, you will require either a J-1 exchange visitor visa or an H-3 trainee visa. Such activities cannot be conducted on a B-1 business visa or visa-free under the Visa Waiver Program, even if you will receive no payment from a U.S. source.
The first step is to find a prospective employer that is a designated exchange visitor program sponsor. The list of such sponsors is available at the Department of State's web site. Training opportunities exist in variety of occupational categories including the arts and culture, information media and communications, education, management, business, commerce and finance. If the prospective employer is a designated exchange visitor program sponsor, then they will issue you a Form DS-2019 Certificate of Eligibility for Exchange Visitor Status, which you will be required to furnish when applying for a J-1 visa exchange visitor visa.
If you are unable to obtain sponsorship for an exchange visitor visa, then your prospective employer will be required to file a Form I-129 Petition for Nonimmigrant Worker with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service. USCIS usually takes several months to process such H-3 petitions.
Please note that we can give no assurances in advance regarding the issuance of visas. Therefore, please do not make final travel plans or purchase nonrefundable tickets until a visa has been issued.