Host Employer Process · Career Training USA

Review the steps below to start the process of hosting an intern or trainee in the U.S.!

InterExchange can provide visa sponsorship for one or more participants, from anywhere in the world, starting any day of the year. Follow the steps below to begin:

Step 1

Check Eligibility

Review our Host Employer Requirements to make sure our program is right for you.
- Additionally, review our list of prohibited training activities and locations.
Review the Participant Requirements to ensure that your intern/trainee meets the U.S. Department of State eligibility requirements.
Review the application processing timeline

NOTE: There may be added processing time if your organization requires a site visit a*- per the U.S. Department of State regulations. This is for organizations that have fewer than 25 employees on site, earn less than $3 million/year revenue, AND have never worked with InterExchange before.

Step 2

Complete Your Application

Sign up and invite your intern or trainee to the online application.
- If you already have an account with us, you can login here.
- NOTE: Your participants will receive an invitation to complete their side of the application.
Complete the Company Basics section and upload the required documents to create your company account.
Go to Training Plans and click on the participant’s name to complete the Participant Information and Participant Compensation sections.
Add and create the Training Plan phases.
- Refer to our Training Plan Guide for assistance.
Have phase supervisors sign their respective phases and an authorized employee sign the Host Employer Agreement.
Send the Training Plan to the intern or trainee so they can sign the plan and submit their application.

IMPORTANT: The intern/trainee’s application and your application (including the signed Training Plan and submission of program fees) must be completed before the intern/trainee can submit the application for review. Your participants must complete their own applications independently.

If you would like to cover the cost of sponsorship, you may pay the appropriate program fee as listed on our Costs and Fees page by clicking on the green button that says Make a Payment.

Step 3

Intern/Trainee Application Review and U.S. Embassy Visit

Initial Review: Once your participant’s application is submitted into “Initial Review”, we’ll notify you within 1-2 business days if we need anything else from you.
In Queue: When the participant’s application is complete, it will be placed “In Queue” for formal review.
- The formal review process will take 10 days from the day that the application has been marked complete and moved into the queue.
Under Review: The formal review will take 1-2 business days to complete and will be marked “Under Review.”
- During this portion of the review process, the reviewer will reach out to you if there is any additional information or revisions needed to the Training Plan.
Pending Interview: Once the formal review has been completed, the participant’s application status will be changed to "Pending Interview." We will schedule an interview with the participant at their earliest convenience.
Pending Site Visit: If the interview is successful, but your company requires a site visit, the application status will be changed to "Pending Site Visit." An InterExchange representative will schedule the visit with you at your convenience.
Final Decision: After the interview and site visit (if applicable), you and the participant will receive our final decision via email within 1-2 business days and we will ship the sponsorship documents to your participant.
U.S. Embassy/Consulate Interview: The participant will need to complete the DS-160 application and attend his/her interview at the U.S. Embassy/Consulate in order to receive the J-1 Visa.