J-Visa for the USA!

le_girl

lonestargirl wrote: »

You don't need ESTA if you are going on a visa. However there is going to be a charge from September so there's no harm in applying in case you want to use the VWP in the next 2 years, just keep your reference number handy.


I-94 is a white form, I-94W was the green one that was used when on the VWP and has now been discontinued. You will fill out the white form and the immigration officer will staple a section into your passport, you then surrender this to the airline when leaving the country.

Thank you!

I won't be shouted at by scary immigration officers for having applied for the ESTA then? Great!

So the green form was for visitors on the visa waiver but the white is for people on non-immigrant visas like the J visas? Ok, not so confused now, thanks!

armadillo86

Hi Guys,

I have my embassy interview this Thursday, just have a question regarding passports. I read on my (go4less) interview guidelines that "your passport should be in perfect condition. If your passport has any water stains, tears, scribbles, or any unofficial or unauthorized writing inside it, then it will be REJECTED."

My problem is: my passport was only issued in March 2009, it is in good condition apart from the first and last pages, which both have a small ink stain on them. Also, the last page of my passport has another small stain, kind of like a coffee stain on the top right hand corner. Apart from that, it's in perfect condition and the picture page is totally unmarked.

Basically, i'm wondering how strict are the embassy on this? I'm kind of freaking out because i really can't afford to order a new passport on top of the existing cost of this visa, especially as it's only just over a year since i last paid for a new one.

Any help/advice on this is much appreciated, thanks

Harpy

Karbolt wrote: »

Hi Guys,

I have my embassy interview this Thursday, just have a question regarding passports. I read on my (go4less) interview guidelines that "your passport should be in perfect condition. If your passport has any water stains, tears, scribbles, or any unofficial or unauthorized writing inside it, then it will be REJECTED."

My problem is: my passport was only issued in March 2009, it is in good condition apart from the first and last pages, which both have a small ink stain on them. Also, the last page of my passport has another small stain, kind of like a coffee stain on the top right hand corner. Apart from that, it's in perfect condition and the picture page is totally unmarked.

Basically, i'm wondering how strict are the embassy on this? I'm kind of freaking out because i really can't afford to order a new passport on top of the existing cost of this visa, especially as it's only just over a year since i last paid for a new one.

Any help/advice on this is much appreciated, thanks

hey i have no ink stains on my passport but there are stains on the pages like the first and last pages and the front cover of my passport with the harp and ireland on the front is totally faded off u can't even see it..I had no problems with it had my interiew thursday and my passport arrived in the letter box this morning with my visa.I say youll be ok..

That thing about the stains and scribbles might only refer to the picture page as well it might not mean the hole passport as long as theres no tears or rips on it i say ull be fine

armadillo86

H599 wrote:

hey i have no ink stains on my passport but there are stains on the pages like the first and last pages and the front cover of passport with the harp and ireland on the front is totally faded off u can't even see it..I had no problems with it had my interiew thursday and my passport arrived in the letter box this morning with my visa.I say youll be ok..

That thing about the stains and scribbles might only refer to the picture page as well it might not mean the hole passport as long as theres no tears or rips on it i say ull be fine

Thanks for the reply. I had my interview this morning and there was nothing said about my passport, got the visa so just gotta book flights now, happy days The waiting times in the embassy today were crazy, my appointment was for 9am, i arrived at 8.45am and was not called for my interview until 12.10pm... If i can give any advice to others going to the interview it's definitely to bring a good book or magazine and some food with you, i was going demented from starvation and boredom by the end! The waiting room is really cold too so a good warm jumper might be a good idea too lol

Harpy

just wondering people on here who are already in america, how is the job hunting going?? is it very hard to find internships and have ye any tips on the best ways of going about getting jobs over there..

jaxgavo

Harpy wrote: »

just wondering people on here who are already in america, how is the job hunting going?? is it very hard to find internships and have ye any tips on the best ways of going about getting jobs over there..

I'm wondering pretty much the same thing Harpy. I have applied for jobs in the US online but have had no joy so far. I feel like it would be easier to find work if I was over there but from reading all the previous pages it seems like a bad idea to go over with no job organised.

MEJ

Hi everyone, just an update cause I know people want to know how everyone who is already in the States is getting on.
I have been in New York just over a week and already have my internship sorted and start tomorrow. There are a lot of jobs here, its nothing like Ireland. I'd advise people to come to New York if you're unsure of where to go. I had an offer of another internship too so there is lots of opportunity!

armadillo86

MEJ wrote: »

Hi everyone, just an update cause I know people want to know how everyone who is already in the States is getting on.
I have been in New York just over a week and already have my internship sorted and start tomorrow. There are a lot of jobs here, its nothing like Ireland. I'd advise people to come to New York if you're unsure of where to go. I had an offer of another internship too so there is lots of opportunity!

Hi Mej, that's awesome, thanks for your feedback! Do you mind me asking what course you did in college? Also, do you have any contacts in New York who assisted you in your job search or did you do it all by yourself? Last question, how did you find these jobs, Craigslist or otherwise? I'm going to NY on this visa myself in 4 weeks so any help you could give me would be greatly appreciated. Thanks and congrats again

le_girl

Thanks for the update Mej and congrats on the job. I'd also love to know how you went about applying for internships. I'm leaving for cali in two weeks and haven't managed to get a response from any companies yet.

akavana3

Hi all,

Was just wondering if anybody has undertaken the professional training program j1 visa? I graduated in 2007 and recently qualified as an accountant. I spoke with USIT today and they said that I am eligible for the visa however I have concerns about the training element of the visa. Does anybody know what is required for the training element and how strict they are in enforcing it?

Thanks!

dellas1979

Well, I am extemely interested in doing this too...I had planned to start the process asap, but somehow I landed a job in the area I just finished MA in.

I handed in my Masters end of August. Got the results first week of September. I dont confer until December 10.

When is the year from?

Job is contract for 6 months and due to expire in March.

lil_lisa

The year is from the date you graduate, so in your case, the latest you could start an intern/training job (or arrive in the US if you're looking at the IWT with no pre-planned job) would be December 10th 2011. You would need a good month and a half or two before this to get all the paperwork organized.

duckmusic

Does anyone know anything about not having to pay Social security and Medicare tax while being on a J1 12 month visa? I read it somewhere but cant remember where. Could do with some money back!!!

lil_lisa

You don't have to pay these, as explained here. However, from personal experience, its difficult to get this when you want it. A lot of payroll companies and departments may not have their system set up to allow for this and they're not willing to make changes for one person, so, with a letter from your company and a payslip I think, you can send off for it yourself. I, personally, am letting it build up until the end of the year and will get it when I'm filing my taxes.

duckmusic

The exemption does not apply to nonimmigrants in F-1,J-1,M-1,or Q-1/Q-2 status who change nonimmigrant status to a status which is not exempt or to a special protected status.

Does this mean if you were to get a green card you would have to pay it back or just wouldst get the exemption anymore?

Corrimbla

Hi,

I intend to apply for the 12 month IWT visa in a months time as my graduation takes place around then but I don't know the date yet.

I heard the green card lottery opens today and was considering entering on the off chance I'd get one, but does anybody know if entering this could affect my 12 month IWT application?

Any thoughts would be greatly appericated.

Dave

silja

Corrimbla wrote: »

Hi,

I intend to apply for the 12 month IWT visa in a months time as my graduation takes place around then but I don't know the date yet.

I heard the green card lottery opens today and was considering entering on the off chance I'd get one, but does anybody know if entering this could affect my 12 month IWT application?

Any thoughts would be greatly appericated.

Dave

The two would not affect eachother.

Corrimbla

Thanks for the help Silja. Thought it was better to enquire before applying.

omarlittle

le_girl wrote: »

Thanks for the update Mej and congrats on the job. I'd also love to know how you went about applying for internships. I'm leaving for cali in two weeks and haven't managed to get a response from any companies yet.

How is the job hunting going le girl? I leave for Cali myself in 3 weeks and im not having much luck emailing companies in advance. Did you just apply for jobs on the net or did you go into companies and enquire about any positions. My job category is down as Business/Commerce - its fairly broad so im hopeful ill get lucky.

armadillo86

Hi all, just thought i'd give you a quick update on how i'm doing on the 12 month work and travel visa over here in New York. I used to check this thread religiously prior to getting my visa so i feel that it would be only fair for me to give something back and hopefully help out anybody who's considering doing the programme...

So i moved over here just over 3 weeks ago, and i have to say that i am in love with this city, it's everything i've ever hoped for and more! Spent a lot of time applying for internships at first but any ones that looked suitable were either stipends or unpaid. Unfortunately, as i had very little savings going over with me, unpaid internships just weren't a viable option for me so i began to look at other options. I decided that i'd take a risk and apply to companies not for an internship, but for a "real" job. As i did business management in college, i began sending resumes to companies on craigslist.org who were advertising for employees in the area of office-administration/front desk/receptionists etc.

After spending two and a half (excruciatingly long) weeks applying to any company who looked like they might take a risk hiring someone on a J1 visa, i had almost lost hope when i got a call last Saturday to come in for an interview for a front desk receptionist for a sports club in Manhattan. Despite not feeling that i had a chance of getting it, i went to the interview and decided to give it my best shot... The interview went great, and i got a call back this morning offering me the job! I'm so delighted that i steered away from solely looking at internships and began looking at full time jobs instead... It really paid off in the end.

A word of warning to anyone applying through craigslist.org, there are an awful lot of job scams going on, but after some practice you can begin to see what's genuine and what's fake (copy and paste into Google of reply emails from these fakers can reveal a lot). So i guess long story short from me is: Don't be afraid to apply for non-internship jobs, once these jobs are skilled they will still be covered within the scope of your visa. You never know, you could end up finding a really great employer who is willing to take that risk if you make a good enough impression on them.

Good luck to anyone considering doing this, it is a big decision and i hope that my story might help you out in some way. In my case, moving to New York on this visa is turning out to be pretty much the best decision i've ever made.

P.S. Play up your Irish-ness, they'll love you for it

Corrimbla

Congrats on the job Karbolt and best of luck with it! Glad to hear back from people who have ventured over and are getting on well.

I am planning to apply for my own visa next week – waiting on a copy of my degree from my college. I am hopefully heading to Boston in February - I’ve a lot of family there.

Only thing is my degree is property orientated and I’m not too optimistic that I will get a property job out there in that field. I’m wondering if I put my field of study as “Business – Real Estate” will I be able to get any kind of business job as it would have a broader spectrum of job opportunities.

I was planning to send an email with “resume” to a few companies before I got out there but I have told that many US companies would dismiss such emails. Alternatively I was going to just land out there and apply for paid internships but may now just apply for jobs as you have done.

Can I ask also who you went through USIT, Go4less, Sayit etc. and were they any good? I am thinking of going with the IIC (Irish Immigration Centre), I have been in contact with them already and they seem very helpful as well as cheap and they let you book your own flights!


Any help or advise would be greatly appreciated!!

lil_lisa

Just a word of advice to you both, make sure, if you are offered a full time job, that you don't sign into a two or three year contract. This can be a big issue over there.

Corrimbla, have you looked at craigslist.org at all? There are a lot of scams out there but at the same time, a lot of postings are legit and want you to email your resume and cover letter to them!

Good luck!

armadillo86

lil_lisa wrote: »

Just a word of advice to you both, make sure, if you are offered a full time job, that you don't sign into a two or three year contract. This can be a big issue over there.

Corrimbla, have you looked at craigslist.org at all? There are a lot of scams out there but at the same time, a lot of postings are legit and want you to email your resume and cover letter to them!

Good luck!

I made my company fully aware of my situation and they were perfectly ok with me only having 12 months over here. Once you're honest with them then problems like that shouldn't occur. I agree, craigslist is great, i managed to find both this job and a gorgeous (and so cheap) apartment through that website. Like i said, it's fairly easy to identify what's genuine on there and what's not.

Corrimbla, why not apply for both internships and full time jobs? Just because the internship option didn't work for me doesn't mean it won't work for you. I went with go4less myself but i've heard great things about the IIC.

armadillo86

Also Corrimbla (and i can only speak from my own experience), i have found that most companies will not be interested in hiring you until you are actually over here. They have so many unemployed Americans to choose from at the moment, why would they decide to hire someone who is currently living over 3000 miles away instead? Before anyone jumps down my throat, i can acknowledge that it might be different in other cities but i have definitely found this to the case in New York. You say that you have a lot of family in Boston, do they have any contacts for companies there who might be looking for staff or willing to offer you a job?

Corrimbla

Thanks both of you for your advice. Much appreciated!

Corrimbla, have you looked at craigslist.org at all? There are a lot of scams out there but at the same time, a lot of postings are legit and want you to email your resume and cover letter to them!

I was obviously aware of craigs.org but I was actually going to send my resume directly to a list multinational companies that I had compiled and take it from there depending on the feedback.

Corrimbla, why not apply for both internships and full time jobs? Just because the internship option didn't work for me doesn't mean it won't work for you.

Ya, it would be a good idea alright to apply for both internships and advertised jobs. I have been in contact with my relations over there in the last few weeks and they asked me to send them on a list of companies that I’d be looking to work for, to see do they have any contacts with them, so I’m exploring that avenue as well but thanks for the advice anyway!

Also Karbolt may I ask If the pay is decent? Like in comparison to what is needed to have a comfortable standard of living or are most companies only offering min wage at the moment.

Regarding working in “your field of study” does anybody know how strict/ lax there are about working in your exact field? :cool:

Hairy Nipples 87

Hey guys, im a student in my final year in college and after i finish in May i want to start working in America for a year maybe, im wondering if there is anybody out there woh can give me useful information on how i should get started with planning? Thanks

Harpy

hey, there's a few companies you can go through I went through the IIC cause it works out cheaper then going through usit, you can book your own flights and get your own insurance.. With the IIC you only have 90 days to get a job, but in fairness unless you have a lot of money saved up you wouldnt really be able to afford to stay much longer then 90 days without a job..As far as i know usit dont have a time limit on when to have a job you just have to be able to prove that you have enough money to suppport yourself..

lil_lisa

Hairy Nipples 87 wrote: »

Hey guys, im a student in my final year in college and after i finish in May i want to start working in America for a year maybe, im wondering if there is anybody out there woh can give me useful information on how i should get started with planning? Thanks

You'll be looking at the 1 year J1 visa. There are several options within this visa and several companies to go through. (Note: not all companies offer all visas)

The visas available are the 1 year internship visa, the (up to) 18 months training visa and the 1 year IWT visa. The IWT visa is the only one available where a job is not required before heading out. Although, there are other requirements with it (such as proof of funds and back up etc).

The most popular companies are SAYIT, USIT, Go4Less and IIC. I recently received the internship visa from INTRAX who are quite quick and efficient.

I would work out a job first, if you can get one before you go over you it will be better. Or you can do what I did and carry out the summer J-1 for a few months until you find a job and then come home and get the 1 year internship visa. That will give you a bit more time over there.

Hairy Nipples 87

lil_lisa wrote: »

You'll be looking at the 1 year J1 visa. There are several options within this visa and several companies to go through. (Note: not all companies offer all visas)

The visas available are the 1 year internship visa, the (up to) 18 months training visa and the 1 year IWT visa. The IWT visa is the only one available where a job is not required before heading out. Although, there are other requirements with it (such as proof of funds and back up etc).

The most popular companies are SAYIT, USIT, Go4Less and IIC. I recently received the internship visa from INTRAX who are quite quick and efficient.

I would work out a job first, if you can get one before you go over you it will be better. Or you can do what I did and carry out the summer J-1 for a few months until you find a job and then come home and get the 1 year internship visa. That will give you a bit more time over there.

I was actually planning on getting the j1 visa at first and then return and get the one year internship. Will it be easier to get the one year internship by doing this? Or is it possible to find a way while over in america to stay longer?

lil_lisa

No, you have to return to Ireland, the J-1 visa is very strict on not extending it. Depending on when you graduate, you could opt for getting two year long J-1s back to back, but you still have to return to Ireland to apply for them.

Hairy Nipples 87

lil_lisa wrote: »

No, you have to return to Ireland, the J-1 visa is very strict on not extending it. Depending on when you graduate, you could opt for getting two year long J-1s back to back, but you still have to return to Ireland to apply for them.[/QUOTE

well i finish college in may this year for good but my graduation wouldnt be until october/december next year, are the 18 month internships hard to get and do the likes of usit/sayit etc help u find work with regards to the internship or must you look for it yourself?

lil_lisa

There's a 12 month internship and an 18 month trainee visa which can be pricey. The likes of SAYIT and USIT offer help but Intrax Internships actually find one for you. It does cost a bit more money but at least you'll have a job going out.

Dicksboro_man

Hey guys,
im currently in 6th year in school but really wanna go to the US after my first year in college. the only thing is that i dont hold an irish passport. me family moved from ukraine when i was like 10. do you think i ll have any problems getting a J1?? cheers lads

lil_lisa

Dicksboro_man wrote: »

Hey guys,
im currently in 6th year in school but really wanna go to the US after my first year in college. the only thing is that i dont hold an irish passport. me family moved from ukraine when i was like 10. do you think i ll have any problems getting a J1?? cheers lads

No you shouldn't have a problem. Once you study in Ireland you're fine. The first summer I went my friend had a Turkish passport, the second summer, another friend had a Spanish passport. They were fine. However, you can only go on the summer J-1, not the 1 year J-1. If you want to go on the 1 year J-1 you will have to get an Irish passport.

Dicksboro_man

lil_lisa wrote: »

No you shouldn't have a problem. Once you study in Ireland you're fine. The first summer I went my friend had a Turkish passport, the second summer, another friend had a Spanish passport. They were fine. However, you can only go on the summer J-1, not the 1 year J-1. If you want to go on the 1 year J-1 you will have to get an Irish passport.

oh yea thats great, thanks a million, the 3-4 months is all i wanna go anyway.

hopefully will have an irish passport by the time i finish my course or if not its not too hard to get a green card or a working visa with a degree in medicine ( i hope) :rolleyes:

lonestargirl

Dicksboro_man wrote: »

hopefully will have an irish passport by the time i finish my course or if not its not too hard to get a green card or a working visa with a degree in medicine ( i hope) :rolleyes:

If you want to practice in the US as a doctor you need to do residency training there. There is a special class of J1 (alien physician) for undertaking residency and the process for getting one is pretty straightforward.

lovechem

hello

i was wondering if anyone could tell me what type of visa would be best for me? im 21, haven't gone to college but have my leaving cert!

thanks!

lonestargirl

lovechem wrote: »

hello

i was wondering if anyone could tell me what type of visa would be best for me? im 21, haven't gone to college but have my leaving cert!

thanks!

Unfortunately for you the US is not really open to unskilled migration unless you have an immediate family member to sponsor you, your best option would be to stick your name in for the diversity visa lottery and hope you are lucky

Magog86

Hi

As some people are helpful and is alot of pages. Does anyone know if that J-visa, the 1 year one if I'd be eligible as I am currently in my second year of an Open University degree and would like to take a year out abd work/live in america. But I don't know if the USA recognises it

Thanks very much for any info

JohnMearsheimer

Magog86 wrote: »

Hi

As some people are helpful and is alot of pages. Does anyone know if that J-visa, the 1 year one if I'd be eligible as I am currently in my second year of an Open University degree and would like to take a year out abd work/live in america. But I don't know if the USA recognises it

Thanks very much for any info

I think you have to be in full time education to qualify for the visa.

Magog86

Yeah, what I feared. Part time/distance learning is still considered the distant cousin of brick universities. Thanks though

irlman

Hi. Has anyone changed their internship after they get one?
Ive read on the USIT site that you can do as many internships as you want.
Im just wondering what the story is if, say, you have an unpaid internship, and then get offered another job in the mean time.
Anyone done this??

DGM

Very good thread.

My question is this: if you are lucky enough to obtain an internship, do you have to work a minimum number of hours per week? I know in the previous visa, you had to work 32 hours but I'm unsure if it's the same for this one...

Harpy

yeah its a minimum of 32 hours per week on this visa as well..

sleepyescapade

lil_lisa wrote: »

Depending on when you graduate, you could opt for getting two year long J-1s back to back, but you still have to return to Ireland to apply for them.

How can this be done, out of interest?

lil_lisa

In most colleges, you finish the college year usually in May, meaning you can go on the year long J-1 straight away in May or June. Graduation usually happens in November (again depending on the college).

So, lets say you go in May or June of 2010, you graduate in November 2010 and come back from your J-1 in May or June 2011. You still have roughly 5/6 months before the 1 year from graduation is up which means you have 5/6 months to take up another one.

Does this make sense?

mark4747

Hi Gus I'm applying through the ICC in Boston at the moment for the visa.

Did anyone on here pay the extra $500 to be placed by them with an internship?

If so was it worth the extra payment and what kind of internship did they set you up with etc.?

Corrimbla

They do not do this program any more as they cannot guarentee an applicant an internship in the current climate!

drei

Hey there,

I am currently applying for the 1 year IWT intern visa through USIT and i have a couple of concerns which I would be very interested in hearing other peoples views on. I noticed that the whole point about this visa is that it is an "internship" visa and it is specifically not designed to fill a "labour need". Also as the employer has to fill out a training programme for the duration of my employment, it seems like it will be pretty hard to convince an employer to pay you a good salary!

I plan on using this visa to get a job in the US and i am concerned that in reality i will be filling a labour need of a potential employer as oppose to an internship position.

Has anyone been on or is on one of these visa's and can let me know how this works in reality? apprecaite any replys.

drei

rtom wrote: »

I would like to give everyone an update on my own experiences with this visa, I checked out this thread regularly when applying for my own visa so its only fair that I give something back.

I officially graduated from college with a masters degree in December 2008, but was actually very lucky to secure a job when I finished my final exams in June. As I was on a 1 year contract in work I decided to apply for jobs elsewhere - mainly the UK & US. I was visiting the US in March 2009 and was lucky enough to have a job interview lined up before I went over. Anyway I did the interview and was offered the job pending me getting this 1 year visa. I had made it clear in my application letter that I would take care of all the visa issues and that the company had nothing to worry about on this front. This is important as when companies see you need a visa they will more than likely disregard your application.

When I returned from the US I applied for the visa immediately through the Irish Immigration Center (IIC). Great people to work with, very helpful and significantly cheaper than USIT/SAYIT etc. Also, you have a lot more freedom with regard to flights etc if you go with the IIC.

After about 6 weeks I got my visa and booked my flights to the States, Boston to be exact. I was lucky in that I had spent a summer in Boston while at college and had a lot of contacts/friends here. I finished up work in Dublin on June 30 and arrived in Boston on July 7, 2009, started work the next day. Hairy enough few weeks as I had no car, social security number etc but I have to say my new company were great. I put the head down and worked very hard for the next few months.

In January of this year my company asked me would I consider staying on with them after my visa expired. Of course I said yes and was relived that they agreed to sponsor me for a H1B visa, which has dual intent meaning you can apply for the green card anytime after getting the H1b visa. My change of status application from the initial J1 visa to H1B was approved last week so I now have a full time state job, full medical and dental benefits, drive a car I could have never afforded in Ireland and have an unbelievable quality of life over here. The best thing is that I have work authorization for the next 3.5 years and can apply for the green card whenever I want which is the first step to becoming a U.S. citizen. I also got promoted in work which I would find it hard to imagine happening in Ireland this soon out of college. I have to say if you are willing to work hard over here and have a bit of cop on you will be laughing.

I would encourage anyone thinking of applying for this visa to try and have interviews/jobs lined up before coming over. Makes it so much easier. Go with the IIC, as I said they are great and way cheaper. Even if you don't have interviews/jobs lined up, give it a go. What have you got to loose? If everything doesn't work out at least you will of had a go and gained valuable experience from it.

Best of luck to anyone applying. I know you will have heard this a million times but being Irish is a huge advantage in the north-east of the US. As soon as I open my mouth in meetings etc the amount of goodwill I get is amazing!

Hey there, you seem to know your stuff about this visa. I plan to apply for the 1 year IWT visa and similar enough to yourself i qualified with a post-grad type qualification (grad date - December 2010). I have a couple of concerns about this visa though:

1. As its an "internship" visa and strictly speaking not a work permit (as in its not designed to fill a labour need), will this restrict the kind of jobs i can apply for? I will be applying for jobs within my field of study but the kind of positions i will be applying for will be filling a labour need and typically will not be a traineeship or internship position.

2. Again because its an internship visa, is this going to have an effect on what employers are willing to pay?

3. Is it easy enough to transfer from this visa to a much longer visa if my potential employer decides to sponsor me?

In reality i am using this visa as a method to approach employers in the US and make it as easy as possible for them to employ me! Any input from your experiences would be a great help!