Apply Now for Career Training USA - a J1 Trainee Programme
J1 Visa/ BridgeUSA
Congratulations on securing a Traineeship in the United States.
Registering and completing your application is the most important thing you are required to do as part of the application process.
Please make sure you follow each step carefully to ensure you receive the J-1 Visa in time to begin your internship.
Try to get your application in as soon as possible!
If you haven’t yet secured a Traineeship in the USA, please see our Placement Plus page for details on using the CIEE placement programme
*additional charges apply for this service
Step 1: Register for an acount
The first thing you need to do is to register for an account using the online form below.
Once you’ve completed this, it will be sent through to our team in the UK who will check the details and create an account for you in the CIEE BEACON application portal.
When we’ve done this, you’ll get an automated email from CIEE (check your junk and spam if you don’t receive this) with login information.
Once you’ve registered, you’ll also need to make sure you download and complete your Supporting Documents - you’ll need to upload these into your CIEE BEACON account.
You’ll find these under the online registration on this page - don’t forget to complete them as we won’t be able to move forward with an application without them!
Now download the Supporting Documents you will need to add to your application
As well as completing the online application, you will also need to upload some supporting documents - including Proof of degree (or professional qualification), Passport ID page, at least one reference letter and your signed Fees Disclosure.
We will not be able to move forward with your application without these.
Download some of these by clicking on the green buttons below.
*If you do not hold a degree and at least 12 months full time work experience in your chosen field, you will need to provide evidence of at least 5 years full time work experience. This will need to be in the form of reference letters from previous or current employers confirming the dates you have worked at their organisation
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Online Fees Disclosure
This will open an online form in a new tab where you can enter your details and sign using your computer, phone or tablet.
Once completed, this will create a PDF file of your Fees Disclosure that you can upload into the DOCUMENTS section of your online application.
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English Ability Form
*Proof of English Ability is only required for NON UK/ IRISH passport Holders.
If your country of citizenship does not have English as its primary language you will need to add this to your application. If you can not get this completed, please email our team and we will conduct a short interview to complete this form for you.
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Financial Guarantor Letter
If your internship in the US is unpaid or pays less than $1500/ month, you will need a parent or guarantor to complete and sign this.
You will need to upload this into the FINANCIAL INFORMATION section of your online application.
Inviting your US Supervisor
Click through the slideshow for instructions on inviting your US Supervisor and Host Company
To invite your Supervisor you’ll need the following information:
The full name of your US Host Company
Your US Host Company Supervisor name
Their position at the US Host Company
Their contact email and telephone number
Your intended J1 Trainee dates
Don’t forget to hit Submit to International Rep when you’re done - or we won’t get your Supervisor details!
We will check your entry and submit to CIEE
If your US Company has already completed their registration for this year, the training plan will immediately be available to them to work on
If your US Host Company is not already registered, your US Supervisor will be sent a questionnaire by CIEE via email link
They will then complete and submit this
CIEE will review and then ask them to complete a Host Profile
Once this has been completed, CIEE will review and make sure everything is ready to move forward
CIEE will then unlock the training plan for your US Supervisor to complete
Once your US Supervisor has completed the training plan, you will be notified via email from donotreply@ciee.org
What Happens next?
While your training plan is being completed, you should work on completing your part of the application - see below for a step by step guide
A Step by Step guide to completing your online BEACON application
Click on any of the sections below for instructions and guidance on completing your application.
We strongly recommend you use this as a guide to avoid mistakes and delays!
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You can do tis further up this page.
Our team will then create an account for you within 2 working days.
Please check your junk or spam if you don’t receive an email with your login details -
This should be the first thing you do as part of the application process.
If you haven't yet done this please refer to our instructions earlier on this page.It is VITAL you email our team to confirm when you have completed this step.
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To do this, please click on the grey profile picture box at the top of your BEACON application - you will then be able to upload a suitable picture.
*Please make sure this image is less than 1mb in size
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In this section you need to check your name and details as they appear on your application, and enter nationality details as per your passport.
You will also need to upload an image of your passport ID page. Please make sure this is clear and all parts can be read easily.
Your passport must be valid for at least 3 months after the date you plan on returning from the United States.
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In this section you will enter your contact details, including your home address and details of someone we can contact if there is an emergency in the USA.
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Interns are not allowed to bring family members on this programme, so please just tick the No box, save and move onto the next step
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Please enter the details of your university/ college (there's a search function but you can also add these manually).
In this section you will need to provide your Proof of Student Status.
This can either be on the standard CIEE Student Status letter (see Supporting Documents futher up this page) - or a letter from your tutor or member of faculty at your university confirming your current student status, your Degree Course and the intended approximate date of your graduation.
*If your proposed internship in the US does not directly relate to your degree course, you will also need to upload a letter of support from your tutor into the DOCUMENTS section of your online account (see instructions on What to upload into your DOCUMENTS section below)
Please note any uploaded documents must be either pdf or jpeg - word docs will are not allowed.
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To be eligible for the J1 Trainee Programme, you need to be able to show at least 12 months full time work experience in your chosen field.
*If you do not have a degree or related professional qualification, you will need to show at least 5 years full time work experience in this area - as per US Government rules
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If you have previously been to the US on a J1 visa programme, you will need to enter some details here
If you have been denied entry into the USA, please contact our team
The question "Have you ever applied for a visa to immigrate to the U.S.?" only applies if you have applied to permanently move to the USA. If does not apply if you have receive a previous J1 or other short term visa
If you have previously been refused a visa by the US Embassy, please contact our team for advice with information on the refusal (dates/ reason given)
If you have been arrested and/ or convicted of a crime in your home country, please contact our team before moving forward with the application
If you have been arrested and/ or convicted of a crime in the USA, please contact our team before moving forward with the application
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Please answer all questions, sign the Applicant Declaration of Intent and tick the box confirming you have read and understood this
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If your passport is issued by a country where English is a recognised Native Language, please tick Yes.
If your passport is issued by any other country (even if you are fluent), please check one of the other options.
*The CIEE English Language Ability Form is available either on this webpage (see Supporting Documents) or from the DOCUMENTS section of your CIEE application.
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Please enter all information to the best of your ability.
*Pre-existing conditions are not covered by the CIEE insurance policy. If you require regular medication, you will need to cover the costs for this yourself. It may be possible to organise this from your home country but please speak with your medical provider/ doctor.
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All participants must sign this
Final Check
As a J1 Trainee applicant, you will need to make sure the following documents are uploaded into the DOCUMENTS section of your online application (you will find this at the bottom of your application page)
Your Fees Disclosure - see Supporting Documents higher on this page or complete this here
At least one reference letter from a previous or current employer. If you have a degree or professional qualification this should show at least 12 months full time work experience. IF you do not have a relevant qualification this letter(s) will need to show at least 5 years full time work experience.
Your online Training Plan (DS-7002)
Once you have invited your US Supervisor, they will be invited to complete the steps required to fill out your online training plan.
Training plans should be as detailed as possible and are required to have multiple phases.
They should focus on the training and experience you will receive as part of this programme.
Guidance and full instructions are provided to your US Host Supervisor by CIEE when registering for the programme but can be viewed here (please share this with your US Supervisor).
Q: How do you know when your training plan has been completed by your Host Supervisor?
A: You will get an automatic email from the BEACON system letting you know and asking you to log in, review and sign.
*You can also check the status of your training plan by logging into your account and checking the progress on your PLACEMENTS tab
Sending us your PROGRAM DATES
When you have signed your online training plan AND completed and signed your part of the application (don’t forget your supporting documents), you’ll need to email our team with the dates you plan on being in the USA.
These are called your PROGRAM DATES and will set the dates for your insurance policy.
We will need:
The earliest date you plan on arriving in the USA
The last date you plan on remaining in the USA
*It’s important you give yourself as much flexibility as possible, as you will not be able to change these once you are in the USA
What happens next?
Once we have your programme dates and your application is completed, our team will conduct a review
If everything is complete and ready to move forward, we will issue the payment request
Once payment has been made, we will submit your application to the teams in the USA
The Process
Once you have emailed our team to confirm you are ready to move forward with the application, we will email you a payment request.
Once payment has been made, we will be able to submit your completed application to our colleagues in the USA for processing.
Below is an outline of the process - each application is assessed individually however, so timelines and processes vary
We strongly recommend allowing a minimum 6 weeks for this - and significantly more in the busy periods of the year such as the months leading up to June. Embassies are much busier during these times, and wait times for interviews will be much longer!
Step 1: Application Complete
Once both parts of your application are complete (your part and your online training plan), please email our team at apply@istplus.com to confirm.
We will then review your application and let you know if anything needs to be revised/ is missing.
Our team will not review or check your application until you have confirmed you have completed this and are ready to move forward with the process.
Step 4: Approval
Once approval has been granted (this may take up to 4 weeks), your status on your application will change to ACCEPTED. Within 2-3 working days (not including weekends) of this you will be able to see your SEVIS ID at the top of your online account page. THIS IS SHOWN AS SEVIS ID/ DS-2019 NUMBER.
You will also receive an email from CIEE with specific instructions on how to download this and your SEVIS RECEIPT.
Step 2: Payment Request
Our team will email you a Payment Request. Once we have confirmation this has been paid, we will submit your application to our colleagues in the USA for the process to start
Step 3: CIEE Review
CIEE will work with your Host Company to approve your application. You must check your email regularly during this process as this will be how we contact you should we require further information. In some cases, CIEE may ask your Host Company to revise your training plan to being it into line with US Government requirements
Step 5: Download your paperwork/ book your Visa Interview
Having completed your DS-160 you can move on to booking your face to face interview at the US Embassy. Please note you will need your legal documents in order to attend this (these normally take 5 working days to arrive after your DS-2019# shows in your online account (see Step 4).
*Please bear this in mind when booking your interview date*
Step 6: Attend you face to face visa interview
At your face to face interview at your local Embassy or Consulate, you will be required to answer some questions about your trining plan, your plans for when you return home and other details.
You will also be required to provide biometric data (fingerprints).
Step 7: After the interview
When your passport and visa are returned to you by the US Embassy, you are free to book your flights and travel to the US on or after the date listed as Program Start Date on your Documents and online Training Plan