J-1 Student Interns

1. Ensure that the internship program meets the regulatory requirements:

• Minimum of 32 hours/week with no more than 20% clerical work, and
• The supervisor must:
  • Be willing to provide continuous on-site supervision and mentoring of the intern
  • Conduct periodic evaluations of the intern

2. Check on past participation by student

• Verify if the student has ever participated in the J-1 Student Intern category in the past
  • There is a cumulative limit of 12 months at each degree level

3. Certification letter for both elements:

A letter signed by the registrar, dean, or someone of an equivalent position at the home institution can fulfill this.

• Obtain proof that the student is currently pursuing a degree program in his home country, and
• This internship will fulfill educational objectives of that degree program

4. Screening interview for qualification:

According to the regulations:

• The supervisor must conduct a thorough, documented screening of the potential intern by video conference or webcam (by phone if video conference is unavailable) to determine that they are qualified.
• You can combine this screening interview with the English Language Proficiency Interviews if you summarize on the form that you discussed topics relevant to determining they're “fit” for the position
  • (e.g., academic background, relevant experience, etc.)

1. Intern's supervisor fills in:

• Sections 1 and 4 (pages 3-5) of the DS-7002, Training/Internship Placement Plan (T/IPP)
• You will need to know: 
  • The student’s current major and expected program completion date (MM-DD-YYYY)
• See some examples of how to complete Section 4
• There is no need to sign the T/IPP at this point. Signatures will be collected after the International Center prints the T/IPP from the SEVIS database.

2. The International Center will:

• Fill in Section 2
• Fill in the Sponsor portion of Section 3
• Create the T/IPP in the SEVIS government database
• Send the document electronically to the host department

3. Host department:

• Collects signatures on the T/IPP (electronic is okay)

1. Invitation letter: (similar to a visiting scholar invitation letter)

• Be sure to include # of hours per week and that intern will be self-funded
• Any information on the letter should be consistent with what is in the DS-7002
• Review the invitation guidelines (scroll down to Host Visiting Scholars, then Invitation Letter Guidelines)

2. Student Intern Agreement:

Download the template that fits the intern’s situation based on the source of funding.

• The Agreement must be signed by host professor, chair, and dean on the UA side
• After obtaining their signatures, send this to Robyn Brown
  • She will pass it along to the Office of General Counsel for review before the Office of Academic Affairs signs.

3. If intern will be paid:

• Submit a Position Request signed by Dept/College
• Please attach this to the Student Intern Agreement, so it can be passed along to the provost
• Check with HR to see whether a Search Waiver is needed
• A PAF will also be needed later

4. If the intern is unpaid:

• Submit a zero-pay PAF signed by Dept/College, attach to the Agreement

5. Request for Form DS-2019

• Request for Form DS-2019, complete pages 4-5

6. Approval

After the International Center receives all the required documents above and OAA has signed the Student Intern Agreement and HR paperwork, the host department can:

• Officially invite the student
• Obtain the intern and the home institution’s signature on the Student Intern Agreement
• Collect pages 7-9 of the Request for Form DS-2019 from the intern
• Collect the intern’s supporting documents (passport copy, proof of funding, etc.)

The International Center will:

• Create the Form DS-2019
• Prepare welcome information for the scholar
• Inform the host department and scholar when the DS-2019 is ready

The host department will:

• Express mail the DS-2019, T/IPP, and welcome information to the student intern

If the internship is 6 months or less

• Submit the Intern Evaluation within 15 days of the internship’s end date

If the internship is longer than 6 months

• Submit the Intern Evaluation within 15 days of the midpoint of the internship, and
• Submit another Intern Evaluation at the end of the internship