FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
The J-1 Visa is a non-immigrant visa for individuals approved to participate in work-based exchange visitor programs. This program allows participant to experience the diverse cultures in the US while gaining international work experience. Through the 12-18 month training program, participants are able to gain training/work experience in the US in order to enhance their skills and qualification.
The program last between 12 months and 18 months depending on whether the applicant is an intern or trainee.
An intern is an applicant that is either currently still in school or has graduated within the past year. A trainee is an applicant that has graduated over a year and has at least one year of experience.
Yes, all interns and trainees enter the US legally and are legally working through the J1 Visa.
No, Ace internships will not be charging a fee from host companies for hiring interns/trainees.
Sponsor Organizations are State Department-designated sponsors that are authorized to issue the Certificate of Eligibility for Exchange Visitor (J-1) Status (Form DS-2019), which is the basic document to support an application for an exchange visitor visa (J-1 Visa) to come to the US. Sponsors screen and select prospective exchange visitors based on the criteria set forth in the governing regulations.
Since the applicants are college graduates and many have previous work experience, the internships are expected to be paid.
Host companies are not required to provide any accommodations such as housing , living, etc.
Interns/trainees have their own insurance so host companies do not need to provide insurance for them.
If an intern/trainee is violating policies and underperforming, records must be kept and at least one warning must be given before termination. As long as the host company informs us and the sponsorship organization of the termination before it occurs, there will be no issue with terminating an intern/trainee.
In order to become a host company, you would need to have:
- 5+ Employees
- Valid Worker’s Compensation
- Website or official Facebook Page
- +1 Million in Annual Revenue
*Exceptions can be made, please contact us for more details
Interns/Trainees need to receive at least minimum wage (varies depending on location of host company).
Interns/Trainees can be paid through the same methods as a regular employee (varies depending on the host company policies).
Trainees are allowed to train in the following categories:
- Agriculture, Forestry, and Fishing
- Arts and Culture
- Construction and Building Trades
- Education, Social Sciences, Library Science, Counseling and Social Services
- Health Related Occupations
- Hospitality and Tourism
- Information Media and Communications
- Management, Business, Commerce and Finance
- Public Administration and Law
- Sciences, Engineering, Architecture, Mathematics and Industrial Occupations
*However, interns/trainees cannot be hired for unskilled labor such as factory or warehouse positions. Interns/ trainees also cannot conduct clerical work or data entry that exceeds 20% of their work hours.