USA Internship Program

How to Apply

CDS has streamlined the application for a J-1 visa. Should you have any questions during the application, please email Ted Geary or call him at +1 212.497.3517.

Step 1: Email the J-1 visa applicant’s resume to your CDS representative

A resume enables us to assess a candidate’s eligibility with minimal effort on your part. Preliminary information about a new host company is often helpful as well. We are happy to discuss your clients over the phone. Please feel free to contact Ted Geary or call him at +1 212.497.3517, with any questions.

Step 2: Request access to and complete the online application

J-1 visa candidates must request an application and apply to CDS through an online portal. A CDS staff member reviews the application requests and follows up with login information and instructions. If you will be filling out the application on behalf of the candidate, please enter your email address as the preferred email.

Once you or the visa applicant have completed the application request form, you will receive a login password and application instructions. The online application form should be completed and submitted along with the following materials:

• Resume in English (required)
• Copy of official transcripts or diplomas in English (required)
• Photocopy of passport picture page. The passport must be valid for six months after the desired training/internship end date. (required)
• Photocopies of any previous non-tourist U.S. visas (required when applicable)
• Proof of English language proficiency if available. This might include one of the following: TOEFL, Cambridge, or other accredited English language test scores or signed documentation from an academic institution or English language school. If the visa applicant cannot verify his/her English language proficiency by these means, CDS will test his/her English language proficiency during the telephone interview (See Step 5).
• Photo (optional)
• Training/Internship Placement Plan (Form DS-7002), if fully executed at the time you are ready to submit the online application (See Step 3).

Step 3: Have the host company complete the Training/Internship Placement Plan (DS-7002 or T/IPP) and the CDS Third Party Agreement

As part of the application process, the host company must complete the Training/Internship Placement Plan and CDS Third Party Agreement. The T/IPP is an official document that gives the J-1 visa applicant, CDS, and the U.S. government a detailed description of the internship/training program. The CDS Third Party Agreement fulfills a U.S. Department of State requirement that CDS maintain a signed contract with each host company to ensure that J-1 visa regulations have been duly communicated.

The Training/Internship Placement Plan must be signed by the J-1 visa applicant, the host company, and CDS. Once the host company and the visa applicant have signed the document, email it to your CDS representative.

Your CDS representative will email you the T/IPP along with instructions on how to fill it out. Please share this with the host company with which you are working. You can also refer the host company to our Training/Internship Placement Plan page for more information.

Step 4: Pay the program, SEVIS, and insurance fees to CDS

An invoice will be issued electronically when you begin the application. Please note that all fees must be paid before CDS will issue Form DS-2019.

The U.S. Department of State requires all J-1 interns/trainees to maintain health insurance that meets certain provisions. To ensure that this requirement is fulfilled, all CDS J-1 visa holders must purchase insurance through a group policy. Find out more about CDS Health Insurance for J-1 visa holders.

A SEVIS fee of $180 is assessed of each J-1 visa applicant by the U.S. government to cover the cost of maintaining the exchange visitor database, SEVIS. CDS arranges SEVIS fee payment on behalf of all applicants and sends the SEVIS fee receipt along with Form DS-2019 for presentation at the U.S. Consulate during the visa interview.

Step 5: CDS contacts you to arrange interviews

The U.S. Department of State requires that CDS interview all J-1 visa applicants. The purpose of the interview is to assess the applicant’s grounds for interning/training in the U.S., academic and professional background, and English language skills.

CDS must also interview all host companies with whom we have not worked in the past. Please note that CDS will assess a $150 New Host Company Verification Fee for all companies new to us. Additional vetting, including a site visit, is required for new host companies that have fewer than 25 employees or less than $3 million in annual revenue.

Step 6: CDS reviews the application and issues Form DS-2019 to qualified candidates

Once the application and interview are complete and all program-related fees have been paid, CDS will issue Form DS-2019 to qualified applicants. Form DS-2019 is an official government document that confirms the applicant’s eligibility for a J-1 visa. Only designated Exchange Visitor Program Sponsors, such as CDS, may issue Form DS-2019.

CDS guarantees that Form DS-2019 will be issued within five business days of submitting a complete application. Read about our Express Service option to find out how you can have Form DS-2019 issued in one business day.

CDS will email the applicant’s unique SEVIS ID to you. The applicant will need this ID in order to schedule a visa interview at the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate.

CDS will send Form DS-2019 to you or directly to the visa applicant via FedEx along with a copy of the Training/Internship Placement Plan, the SEVIS fee receipt, and additional program information. The applicant must sign and date the bottom of Form DS-2019.

Step 7: The J-1 visa applicant schedules an interview at a U.S. Consulate or Embassy.

All J-1 visa applicants except Canadian citizens must schedule and attend an interview at a U.S. Embassy or Consulate. Ideally, this interview should take place at a U.S. Consulate or Embassy in the applicant’s country of citizenship or permanent residence.

Note: Canadian citizens are not required to attend a U.S. consular interview to receive their J-1 visa. They will receive J-1 visa status when entering the United States. Please be prepared to present all of the forms listed above to a U.S. Customs & Border Patrol agent.

The applicant will need to bring the following documents to the interview:

• Passport
• Copies of all previous visas to the U.S.
• Passport-sized photo taken within the last six months
• Form DS-2019 (Certificate of Eligibility) — original, signed version
• Training/Internship Placement Plan (Form DS-7002) — copy of the original, signed version
• SEVIS payment receipt
• Evidence of personal funds, typically a bank statement
• Evidence of personal ties to home country, such as university enrollment letter or proof of family ties
• Visa application form(s) as required by the Consulate or Embassy you visit. These might include Form DS-156, Form DS-157, and Form DS-158, or only Form DS-160; the applicant should ask the U.S. Embassy or Consulate s/he will be visiting which forms are required.

The applicant should expect to surrender his/her passport and Form DS-2019. Following the interview, officials at the Consulate or Embassy will begin processing the visa application. The passport will be returned to the applicant with the J-1 visa attached within. Form DS-2019 will be returned to the applicant in a sealed envelope, which should not be opened by the applicant. A U.S. inspection agent will open this envelope when the J-1 visa holder enters the United States.

The applicant should allow up to one week for the visa to be processed. Each U.S. Consulate operates differently, so there may be some exceptions.