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Obtain a visa for the United States
Are you planning on doing an internship or a traineeship in the United States? Read on to learn about the visa requirements.
Visa eligibility criteria
The visa procedure is not difficult, but it does have a price, and there are several eligibility criteria to respect:
For students wanting to do an internship :
- You must be currently enrolled full-time in, or recently graduated from, a degree- or professional certificate-program in a college, university, or other post-secondary academic institution outside the U.S.
- Your internship must be directly related to your academic field of study. Professional and extra-curricular activities are not taken into consideration. This also means that Sciences Po students who are looking to gain professional experience in the US in a field that is related to their future desired specialization, instead of their current one, might have trouble obtaining their visa.
For students wanting to do a traineeship :
- You must have a degree or professional certificate from a college, university or other post-secondary academic institution outside the U.S. and at least one year of related professional experience from outside the U.S. OR have at least 5 years professional experience from outside the U.S.
- Training program must be related to your non-U.S. professional work experience.
How to obtain a Visa
While a few host organizations are accredited by the US Department of State, the vast majority of them aren’t which means that you will need to use the services of a third party in order to obtain your J-1 visa. Luckily, there are plenty of US State Department designated sponsor organizations to choose from. Consult the full list of these organizations.
You can either apply for a visa directly via one of these designated sponsor organizations ―which are all based in the US― or you can apply for a visa via a local intermediate agency.
Whichever option you choose, the services provided are very similar and usually include the following :
- J-1 Visa Sponsorship and application processing, including a thorough review of the host employer, training plan, and participant eligibility
- Issuance and shipping of DS-2019 Form and acceptance packet
- The SEVIS Fee (around $220)
- Accident and sickness insurance for entire duration of your program
- 24-hour emergency support for duration of program
- Orientation session (online or offline) for living and adapting to life in the U.S.
To help you decide which is the best option for you, we have listed the pros and cons for each below.
Designated Sponsor Organizations :
- Pro : These organizations offer the cheapest rate since you are cutting out the middleman.
- Con : They are based in the US and their staff may not speak your native tongue.
Local Intermediate Agencies :
- Pro : These organizations can be based anywhere in the world. Quite a few of these agencies operate out of offices located in Paris or elsewhere in France. This means they speak French and can also help you navigate the cultural differences between France and the US.
- Con : These agencies still have to partner with an accredited sponsor organization based in the US which means that they are more expensive.
Our recommendations for intermediairies
Parenthèse is a local intermediate agency based in Paris with a bilingual staff. They regularly organize information sessions on campus. They can also help you find an employer free of charge. Many Sciences Po students have used their services to find an internship or a traineeship in the US.
Download the latest Parenthèse presentation (last edit : Nov 2022)
- InterExchange is a designated sponsor organization based in New York City. They regularly organize webinars throughout the year and will be hosting an exclusive webinar for Sciences Po students soon. In order to sign up for this webinar, please consult our events calendar. Several Sciences Po students have used their services to find an internship or a traineeship in the US. Receive a $100 discount on the program fee by using the "SCIENCESPO" promo code.
The Franco-American Chamber of Commerce of New York (FACC NY) has been accredited by the United States Department of State as an official designated sponsor organization. This means that the FACC NY is authorized to issue J-1 visas throughout the United States, and not just in the state of New York. The FACC NY operates within a network of 15 other Franco-American chambers of commerce established in the United States. Their business model differs from that of other sponsor organizations in that the application fees (approximately $1,250-$2,000) are borne by the company and not by the student. However, in order for your application to be processed by the FACC NY, your employer must either already be a member of a Franco-American chamber of commerce or agree to become a member and pay the annual membership fee to the chamber of commerce of its choice. In order to benefit from this scheme, please contact FACC NY at least 2 months before the start date of your internship at the following address: icdp@faccnyc.org. For faster processing, we recommend that you put "Sciences Po Student - J1 request" in the subject line of your email and include a copy of your CV (in English), the name of the US-based company that you wish to intern at and the start and end dates of your internship. Please note that the FACC NY can issue J-1 visas to all students, irrespective of their nationality.
Additional resources
- The Franco-American Chambers of Commerce: Present in most major cities in the United States, the French-American Chambers of Commerce (FACC) have a directory listing their members, which they sometimes agree to share with students who ask for it. This directory is mostly composed of French companies with subsidiaries in the United States such as Air France, Cartier, Hermès, Lacoste, Materne, PWC, Alstom, AXA, CIC, Société Générale, BNP Paribas, Mazars, Veolia, Bolloré, EY, KPMG, Lactalis, Sanofi, L'Oréal, Roche Bobois, Kering, Capgemini, Danone, LVMH, Cushman & Wakefield, OVH Cloud...
- GoinGlobal : GoinGlobal provides comprehensive guides by country and city in which you will find more information on the career prospects and workplace/sectoral trends for each country, tips on how to find an internship or job and on how to decode the work culture of each country plus information on visa and work permit formalities for each country.
