About Internship USA
Specifically designed for those applicants who have recently finished university, Graduate Internship USA allows you to spend up to 12 months* in a US company as an intern. Not only will you gain real-world skills that will serve you throughout your career, but you will also get valuable firsthand insight into American culture and business practices. Along the way, you will share ideas with colleagues, make important new business connections, and build lifelong friendships.
If you want to go to the USA it will save you (and us) lots of time if you read as much as you can below about the J1 internship Programme before you apply, so you have an understanding of the entire process.
Eligibility - who can go on the programme?
In order to qualify for Graduate Internship USA you must meet the following conditions:
- You must be over 18
- You must be a recent graduate at degree level or equivalent.
- Your Internship must be in a field directly related to your field of study at university
- You must be studying in the UK Or a UK citizen studying abroad
- Your Internship must start within 12 months of finishing full time study
What's Included?
- Full Legal Sponsorship - in order to go to the US on a J1 Programme you need a "Designated Legal Sponsor". The Legal Sponsor is not only responsible for your presence in the USA but also for checking and verifying your application and your online Training Plan (DS-7002 - see below). They are also responsible for making sure you have support and a point of contact throughout your time in the USA
- Insurance- ALL Participants are covered by insurance for the entire time they are in the USA (based on the dates given on an application)
- Emergency support in the USA - 24/7 contact and assistance using a toll-free number from anywhere in the USA
- Pre-departure online Orientation
- Access to comprehensive online information and help on life in the USA
- SEVIS Fees - SEVIS stands for Student and Exchange Visitor Information System. It's included in your fees! Once your application has been approved, we send you a SEVIS receipt along with your other documentation - you then take this to the embassy interview with you!
- Fees do NOT include the cost of the visa interview at your local embassy or consulate (currently $160). You will pay this direct to the embassy at the time of booking your face to face interview
- You complete the Registration form lower on this page
- IST Plus will review your details and enter you into the CIEE system
- You will then receive log in details via email from donotreply@ciee. You can then go online and invite your US Supervisor to complete the online DS-7002 (TIPP) AND complete your own part of the application
- Once your DS-7002 Training Plan (TIPP) has been completed and signed off by your supervisor AND you, you should make sure your own part of the application is complete
- YOU MUST EMAIL apply@istplus.com to confirm when your application is complete
- We will then contact you for payment of your programme fees. Once these have been confirmed we will submit the applicaiton to CIEE
- CIEE will then work with your Host Company to approve the application
- After approval, your legal paperwork will be sent to our offices in the UK. We will then send them out to you via Royal Mail (UK and Eire Applicants) or International Courier (All other countries)
- Once you receive these you will be able to go online and book your face to face interview at your local embassy
- After your interview at the embassy, you can expect to wait 3-5 working days before your visa is returned to you by the embassy secure courier service
- You are then free to travel to the USA on or after the arrival date you have given us as part of the application
Supporting Documents you will need to upload to your online Account
While most of the application is able to be completed online you will still need to upload into your account some supporting documents. We strongly recommend you download these at the start of the process (now's a good time!) so you are able to get these completed and signed off quickly.
All these files are in Adobe PDF format and will open in a new tab in your browser. Please then download these to your computer.
Program Start and Return Home Dates (arrival and departure)
You must make sure these are entered into your online training plan before you sign! Without these dates we are unable to review or start the process for you. Your PROGRAM END DATE MUST BE AFTER YOUR TRAINING END DATE or we will not be able to submit your application.
Don't forget to enter your dates in your online training plan
In order to make sure you are covered by the programme insurance (a legal requirement) you must enter the earliest date you plan on arriving in the USA and the last date you plan on being in the USA. You are not allowed to be in the USA outside of these dates.
You will need to click the EDIT Button on the DATES section of your online training plan to enter these BEFORE signing your training plan. Don't forget to SAVE once you have done this!
Fees - How Much does it Cost?
Remember - the fees cover the time you are actually IN the USA- not just the time you spend at your Internship. You are allowed to remain in the US for up to 30 days after your internship finishes but you will need to apply for this on the application and pay for the additional time in the USA
For example, if you are have a 12 month internship, but plan to fly out the week before AND stay the max 30 days after, this will mean a 14 month programme.
Please note: Should you wish to remain in the USA for the optional tourism and travel time at the end of your Internship you MUST enter these dates on your online training plan. We will not be able to amend or extend these once you have travelled to the USA.
*Please note all programme fees are in UK Sterling (Pounds).
**Legal documents requiring Shipping outside the UK or Ireland will be charged accordingly. You will be able to choose between UK Royal Mail international Delivery (where available for your country) or UPS International Courier.
Program Start and Return Home Dates (arrival and departure)
You must make sure these are entered into your online training plan before you sign! Without these dates we are unable to review or start the process for you. Your PROGRAM END DATE MUST BE AFTER YOUR TRAINING END DATE or we will not be able to submit your application.
Don't forget to enter your dates in your online training plan
In order to make sure you are covered by the programme insurance (a legal requirement) you must enter the earliest date you plan on arriving in the USA and the last date you plan on being in the USA. You are not allowed to be in the USA outside of these dates.
You will need to click the EDIT Button on the DATES section of your online training plan to enter these BEFORE signing your training plan. Don't forget to SAVE once you have done this!
Dates in the USA OUTSIDE your internship
You do not automatically qualify for time in the USA before or after your internship. You MUST apply for this time as part of your application (see Program Dates above).
Months |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
10 |
11 |
12 |
13 |
14 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Fee (£) |
905 |
905 |
930 |
1000 |
1050 |
1115 |
1175 |
1235 |
1300 |
1370 |
1425 |
1480 |
1540 |
1600 |
Please note fees include all sponsorship, legal documentation, 24/7 support in the US, medical and liability insurance for the duration of your time in the USA - as well as the US Government SEVIS fee. The fees do not include the visa interview fee (payable direct to the embassy when you book your face to face interview (currently $160 US dollars - see US Embassy Interviews).
***Should your US Host Company require a site visit there will be an additional charge of £200 for this - see "Host Company Site Visits"
Change of Dates once application has been approved and documents shipped: Once you have received your DS-2019, requests for new documentation as a result of new dates (or loss of documentation): £55 +cost of any additional month new dates may require
All prices subject to change
Fees Calculator
Remember to choose Graduate Internship USA from the Programme dropdown menu and to put the dates you plan on leaving for the USA and coming home - not the dates you plan to be at the internship.
• You're allowed to stay in the USA 30 days after your internship ends - but you must apply for these dates at the time of application - you won't be able to get them changed once you're in the USA.
We encourage you to use the online Fees calculator below to work out how much the programme will cost.
Please note all fees are in UK Pounds (GPB)
After application received: £200
After application received and DS-2019 printed: £385
Please note there will be no refunds if you cancel AFTER the LISTED DATE of DEPARTURE on your application or you have travelled to the USA - if you are unable to travel to the USA you MUST inform us prior to your programme start date/ listed date of departure.
In case of visa refusal at embassy participants will be refunded programme fees minus £250 (this includes the non refundable SEVIS fee).
It is VITAL you inform IST Plus via email providing details of the refusal and also if possible provide a copy of the paperwork the embassy gives you showing the reason for the Visa denial.
On the rare occasion that an application is refused sponsorship there will be a non refundable application fee of £200.
If legal sponsorship is refused AFTER a Site Visit has taken place in the USA the non refundable fees will be £350.
*All prices subject to change
How long does it take?
You should allow a minimum of 6 weeks from the date we are able to submit a completed application for you
Once we have been able to submit your application in the US the status on your online account will change to "Submitted to CIEE".
You can see a rough outline of the process on our J1 Timescales page
Step 1
You register your details above. This will allow our team to create an account for you in the systems. You will then receive login details and be able to create a password. You will then be able to login and invite your supervisor/ start your application
Step 2
Once BOTH parts of the online application are complete (you should make sure the relevant supporting documents are submitted and your online training plan is signed by both your US supervisor and you please email apply@istplus.com to confirm
Step 3
Based on the arrival and departure dates you have provided on your online training plan we will request the relevant programme fee and submit your application for processing - your application status will show as SUBMITTED TO CIEE
Step 4
CIEE will work with your US Host Company to approve your application. You must check your email regularly during this process as this will be the way we contact you should require further information
Step 5
Once approval has been granted (this may take up to 6 weeks), your status on your application will change to ACCEPTED. You will be able to see your SEVIS ID on your online account at this time.THIS IS SHOWN AS YOUR DS-2019 NUMBER.
Within 3-5 working days of this, your legal paperwork will be sent to our offices in the United Kingdom and we will send these out to you. Please do NOT book an interview at the embassy until you have your paperwork.
Step 6
Upon receipt of these documents, you will be able to book and attend your face to face interview at your local US Embassy or consulate
US Embassy Interviews
Once your application has been fully approved and processed in the USA, you will receive your legal paperwork from us (this normally happen approximately 5 working days after approval)
You'll then be able to go online and start the process of booking your face to face interview at the US Embassy.
In line with US Department of State and Embassy recommendations, we advise against making any firm travel plans until you have received your passport and visa back from the Embassy or Consulate.
Neither the US Embassy/ Consulate nor IST Plus can be held responsible for any delays or costs incurred should you book flights prior to receiving your passport and visa.
Once you have received your passport and visa (this is printed inside your passport) back from the US Embassy or Consulate, please check the details carefully.
Your Visa will normally be issued with an end date that matches the end date of your actual internship or traineeship - this is NOT necessarily the date you must depart the USA.
You will be allowed to remain in the USA until the end date as listed on your Certificate of Insurance. These details are also available to view on your online account.
If there is an error in the dates on your Visa it is VITAL you contact the US embassy direct to query this. You should not travel to the US unless your visa has been issued with the correct dates.
For UK applicants you should contact the embassy using their Visa Error Contact Form at https://uk.usembassy.gov/visas/visa-errors/error-in-visa-contact-form/
What to take with you on the plane (these items MUST be in your hand luggage and with you at ALL times)
- Your Passport!
- Your DS-2019 Certificate of Eligibility
- Your Insurance Card (this is a pull off card on your Certificate of Insurance)
Extending your Programme
You are allowed to apply to extend your internship to a maximum 12 months.
If you choose to extend you MUST apply for this at least 6 weeks in advance of the end date on your DS-2019 Certificate (this is the actual end date at your host Company- NOT the end date of your programme).
In order to extend your programme please email our team at apply@istplus.com to request we unlock your online training plan for an extension. Your Host Company will then be able to log in and complete this.
You will also need to download your own part of the Extension application - please download this below.
**Please note Application will open in a new tab in your browser. You can download it directly from there
An extension allows a participant to remain in the US for the purposes of continuing their training at their listed Host Company.
Please note we are unable to accept requests for extensions for the purposes of changing Host Companies.
It is important to note that should you travel outside of the US while on an extension to your original training, you will need to apply for a new visa at your local (home) embassy in order to re-enter the USA with a new J1 visa that matches your extended dates.
Please bear this in mind when making any travel plans.
How Much does an Extension Cost?
The fees for an extension are the same as if you were starting a new programme. For example, if you choose to extend for a further 6 months the fee for that extension will be the same as if you were applying for a 6 month programme.
See the Section further up this webpage marked "How Much does it Cost" for information
About Us
IST Plus was formed in 2003. Since then we have worked with thousands of students and young people from all over the world to help and guide them on their international journeys.
We work with partners across the globe to provide the best service possible.
More Info
IST Plus
Shakespeare Business Centre
245a Coldharbour Lane
London
SW9 8RR
Tel: +44 (0)207 788 7877
email: info@istplus.com