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lol:) I have almost the same story:) You've done it well.. Good article, but there is also option to go for J1 Trainee program and its duration is up-to 18 mont
by tomashertus 13y ago
lol:) I have almost the same story:) You've done it well.. Good article, but there is also option to go for J1 Trainee program and its duration is up-to 18 months.
- jorde 13y agoI'm aware of the Trainee program but little short on details as nobody I know has done it. Do you know if the requirements differ much or if there's any restrictions? Happy to update the article, I'm also adding a mention about Two Year Rule (212e) as it can affect future visas.
- tomashertus 13y agoThere are some differences how the Department of State define both types of J1 Visa. More information can be found here: http://www.cci-exchange.com/work-programs-j1/career-advancem.. http://www.cci-exchange.com/work-programs-j1/career-advancem.... The Two Year Rule is mostly for 3rd world countries, the list can be found here: http://travel.state.gov/visa/temp/types/types_4514.html http://travel.state.gov/visa/temp/types/types_4514.html
- jorde 13y agoTwo Year Rule actually applies to all applicants if they are getting money from their government (e.g. a grant from school) but it seems pretty random who gets it or not. I got hit by it but at least my home country (Finland) gives waivers for it in case I ever need to apply for a H1b.
- zmitri 13y agoI did the J-1 trainee program for 18 months and went into an H1B from that. It was ideal for me because I came right out of school without work experience and it made the process very easy. One downside was that I had to stay in the US between filing for H1B status and receiving it (you file in the spring, but get the status on October 1st) because the H1B is a dual intent visa (meaning you can state that you want to stay in the US permanently and it is not just a temporary visa) in case they questioned me at the border about the conflicting status of my J-1 and H1B petition.
- johnking 13y agoThe J1 trainee program sounds really interesting (as I'm currently out of education for > 12 months and therefore ineligible for the J1 intern program). According to the j1visa.state.gov site one of the requirements for the J1 trainee program is: "Has five years of work experience outside the United States in the occupational field in which they are seeking training" Did you meet this criteria or manage to circumvent it?
- zmitri 13y agoI owned my own company throughout university so I just got letters of reference from customers (aka my friends) that vouched for the work I did. Remember, rules are made to be.. um fitted to your needs.