J-1 FAQ & Links Superthread (Read first before posting) UPDATED 11/7/2011

nbar12 · 25-07-2013 11:39pm

Macken14 wrote: »

Hi.
I am currently on a J1 and have found a job that isnt allowed by my company Sayit. I never registered any job in the 30 day period and now after 44 days i have been contacted by my company to contact interexchange which i did. they said i have 30 days to leave the country and there will be no consequences when travelling to america in the future . My problem is that my flight home is 5 days after the 30 day period. I was wondering what might happen if i ignored what interexchange said and just went home on my original flight?
Advice needed, thanks

take their threats with a pinch of salt

osullm36 · 28-08-2013 4:22am

I hope this is the right place to post my question because I really hope I can get some advice?

I'm currently on my J1 12 month visa in NY and it's coming to an end in Nov, however I'd like to apply for a short term 6 month extension. I'm not looking for a H1B or an additional year but I'm currently in full time employment and would like to extend by a few extra months.

I'm hoping because I work in the non profit sector and that I'm working on a specific project might help me achieve a short term extension?

Thanks for any help anyone can give me.
Maria

Recent grad · 04-09-2013 9:23pm

Hi the information above has been great and i am wondering if i can get some help,

me and a friend are heading to the states on a 12 month graduate visa to new york, we are just worried in relation to jobs.

does it have to be an internship paid/unpaid or if you secure a job with a company following an interview will they sign off on the working visa?

there has been responses for jobs we have applied for but they have not been for internships?

any light on this would be great.

podgie. · 04-09-2013 9:40pm

As long the job is related to your field your grand as far as I know, most of the jobs I applied for are entry level, so I hope it be ok,

propagandavm · 04-09-2013 9:56pm

I think the iiic said i have to get a paid job because they were telling me what taxes i don't have to pay etc.

When are you going to ny? Im going on my own friday week!

podgie. · 04-09-2013 10:00pm

Better of holding out for a paid job, I'm going this Friday

Recent grad · 04-09-2013 10:25pm

great thanks for this?

have you been for and witnessed this first hand?

i have been applying for plenty of jobs related to my field which is business so its pretty open as to where i can work and have been already invited to interviews.

if you have been on the usa grad visa and worked can i ask where and was it an internship?

thanks

grimey90 · 18-09-2013 10:34am

Just wondering is their anyone travelling to or already doing the 1 year j1 visa in Chicago?

I'm travelling over on the 11th October, I studied Corporate Law and have 2 interviews for paralegal work when I arrive, but that's after months of hounding Irish American Lawyers on LinkedIn with e-mails and my resume.

Hopefully things will work out fine, I've heard loads from summer j1ers who have gone to Chicago about the beach, lollapalooza and roof top parties but would love to hear from people who have been in Chicago during the Winter and Spring months on what to do and see.

cometogether · 08-10-2013 7:48pm

Guys how does one go about getting a J1 Visa for Summer '14?

CommerceKid · 23-11-2013 9:35pm

Hey everyone!

Looking for advice on where to go for a J1 this summer!
Me and my friends have my hearts set on the west coast, so we are thinking either Huntington Beach, Santa Barbara, San Diego, San Fran etc etc

We were on a J1 2 years back to Ocean City MD on the east coast and loved it.

Also we went with USIT last time and were wondering are there cheaper travel agents etc

Would love to hear your thoughts?

polarax · 04-03-2014 1:59pm

I was wondering if someone could help me please. I am hoping to go to the USA on a J1 in the summer. I have rang up a few companies that have J1 programs. Of the companys I have tried, none of them allow you to organise your own flights and the flights have to be organised by them. I have an airline voucher for American Airlines which I was hoping to use to pay for the flights, and was wondering if there was any company that would use this voucher??

WoollyRedHat · 07-04-2014 11:42pm

I read somewhere that if you've already done a J1 you don't need to go to a second embassy interview. Is this true/ still the case?

lil_lisa · 08-04-2014 12:59am

This is completely up to the Embassy to decide. I went on 2 consecutive summer J1 visas and wasn't required to go to the second interview. I did have to go to the following 1 year J1 visa I took. I guess it depends on your history with visas. If you haven't been an issue for them, they will possibly be more likely to not require a second interview.

blue-army · 10-04-2014 12:02am

WoollyRedHat wrote: »

I read somewhere that if you've already done a J1 you don't need to go to a second embassy interview. Is this true/ still the case?

You don't have to go to a second interview... unless you're a final year student, in which case, you (might) need to provide proof that you're coming back. A letter from your college stating you're eligible to do a masters pending results is fine, even if you've no intention of doing one.

WoollyRedHat · 10-04-2014 12:10am

blue-army wrote: »

You don't have to go to a second interview... unless you're a final year student, in which case, you (might) need to provide proof that you're coming back. A letter from your college stating you're eligible to do a masters pending results is fine, even if you've no intention of doing one.

Perfect am in last year, will get one of those pronto thanks.

Beccadaisy · 13-05-2014 8:12pm

Hey there, been reading some of the comments on the thread and everyone's been very helpful. I'd like to get some advice from people who are used to the whole system.

I'll be starting a 3 year Level 7 visual merchandising & display course in DIT in the coming September. I know it's still extremely early, but I'm hoping to get as much info on the whole J1 process as possible so that I can head to New York on one next summer. I've heard that the best jobs to go for over there are waitressing/bartending jobs, because you earn a lot extra in tips. I only have experience in retail, and am currently looking for work in a bar/cafe/restaurant here in Ireland. I'd just like to know, is it absolutely vital that I already have experience in this area before I start the J1 process next summer? Has anyone gone over to New York and been trained in waitressing?
As I said, I'm hoping to get a little bit of experience in this area at the moment, but it's unlikely that I'll have even 1 year of experience by the time I am applying for my J1.
Any advice would be much appreciated,
Cheers!

stinkle · 20-08-2014 10:50pm

Hi im in a bit of a tizzy so hope someone can help/reassure me!

I have a job offer and went to the embassy last month. All is in order and I have a J1. The job is for 3 years. I informed the job once all was in order and I got my passport, as i wanted to sort a start date and book flights, as advised. The boss mentioned starting in October... Now hr have been in touch about me needing to travel within 30 days of visa issue date! That's next week!

Is this a thing? I can't see it written anywhere, either online or on Ds 2019.. I got a summer j1 in 2005 and didn't travel until 2 months after visa issue date (obv a long time has passed and things may have changed).

I priced flights there and I could go next week to fulfil the 30 day criteria. But for lots of personal reasons I'd like to head back here if possible then return to US before starting work. There may also be problems re: me being there but not working. I'm waiting on hr to get back to me and will call the embassy tomorrow too.

My main query is: do I need to be there within 30 days? If so is there a way to amend visa issue date? If I do need to travel next week can I leave again a few days later?

Thanks for any help in advance! Hope I made sense too... Feel a bit of a plonker.

lil_lisa · 20-08-2014 11:52pm

Your J1 visa is for 1 year? And you're waiting around for two months before going? Honestly, there are a lot of people who are desperately trying to get into the country for even a shorter period to work. You should go asap and take advantage of the full 12 months you have there. If it is the 1 year visa, there are different rules to the summer J1 so it sounds legitimate that you would be required to go/start work within the first 30 days.

stinkle · 21-08-2014 12:33am

If you read my post i said the job is three years, Im not a young recent graduate, its not a 12 month visa and I have many personal reasons for not being able to drop everything and go. As stated I'm still waiting for confirmation of start date so have no intention of going earlier than I have to and be out of pocket while not earning.

lil_lisa · 21-08-2014 4:00am

There's no three year J1 visa, I believe the longest is the 18 month training J1. How do you plan on staying once the J1 runs out?

AFAIK, there is a requirement to have a job within the first 30 days of the visa. If you're not even in the country yet, and you have confirmation of a job, it shouldn't be an issue. I think as long as the DS-7002 is completed within the first 30 days you should be OK. However, I would double check with your J1 sponsoring company.

stinkle · 21-08-2014 8:30am

lil_lisa wrote: »

There's no three year J1 visa, I believe the longest is the 18 month training J1. How do you plan on staying once the J1 runs out?

AFAIK, there is a requirement to have a job within the first 30 days of the visa. If you're not even in the country yet, and you have confirmation of a job, it shouldn't be an issue. I think as long as the DS-7002 is completed within the first 30 days you should be OK. However, I would double check with your J1 sponsoring company.

Please stop making out that I don't know what I'm talking about. I never said there's a "3 year j1". I said I have a j1 that's valid for three years. I work in a specialised and highly qualified field and am sponsored by my job until 2017 on a j1 which FYI can be extended further.

This isn't the issue, I have it in my possession and came on here with a few specific queries re: a) needing to " activate" visa within 30 days b) consequences of not doing this c) possibility of just booking a flight, activating it and coming home asap and d) ways to maybe amend visa with embassy due to what turns out to be confusion on my employers' part.

Thanks for mentioning the ds7002, I'll mention it to embassy, hr and my boss.

biddywiddy · 21-08-2014 7:42pm

stinkle wrote: »

Please stop making out that I don't know what I'm talking about. I never said there's a "3 year j1". I said I have a j1 that's valid for three years. I work in a specialised and highly qualified field and am sponsored by my job until 2017 on a j1 which FYI can be extended further.

Most of the of people asking questions about J-1 visas on this forum are referring to either the summer visa for third level students or the 1-year recent graduate visa. I think the posters who take the time to answer your questions can be forgiven for assuming you fall into one of these categories.

stinkle wrote: »

This isn't the issue, I have it in my possession and came on here with a few specific queries re: a) needing to " activate" visa within 30 days b) consequences of not doing this c) possibility of just booking a flight, activating it and coming home asap and d) ways to maybe amend visa with embassy due to what turns out to be confusion on my employers' part.

Thanks for mentioning the ds7002, I'll mention it to embassy, hr and my boss.

I am on a 2 year J-1 visa which is sponsored by my employer. This is different to the usual J-1 graduate visa, which is for one year only. It falls under a different category of J-1 visa.

In my case, once the visa was issued, I could enter the US up to 30 days before the official start date on my DS2019. Once I arrived in the US (even if this was before the official start date on my DS2019), I had to check-in with my employer's international office so that my J-1 status could be officially activated in the SEVIS government database. My employer gave me a deadline of 5 business days after arrival to complete this check-in process, threatening loss of immigration status if this check-in was not completed in that timeframe.

From their website:

"The check-in requirement is linked to the start date of the SEVIS DS-2019. We must report the arrival of the J-1 in SEVIS within the first 30 days after the document begins. If an exchange visitor is delayed and will enter the U.S. more than fifteen days after the DS-2019 start date you should request an “amendment” of the DS-2019 so that the start date is changed to a later date."

What is your program start date on your DS2019? This is (probably) different from the date of visa issue, and this date will have been entered by your employer as your start date.

stinkle · 21-08-2014 8:06pm

biddywiddy wrote: »

Most of the of people asking questions about J-1 visas on this forum are referring to either the summer visa for third level students or the 1-year recent graduate visa. I think the posters who take the time to answer your questions can be forgiven for assuming you fall into one of these categories.

well I took the time to state the fact that I'm on a 3 year visa in my original post - no need for anyone to assume anything. Id rather someone took the time to read it correctly first before responding. Its especially important for a long, stickied thread as any misinformation could be read a long time later by other confused posters.

My start date is august 1st. For lots of reasons that was a stupid thing for them to put down as there is a delay on their part which has caused all this confusion. I checked with the embassy and was told as I have the visa, I can go whenever I like. In the interests of not creating any misinformation myself, this refers to my particular (professor/research scholar) j1 visa.

lil_lisa · 21-08-2014 9:40pm

stinkle, I was simply trying to understand what your situation is in order to help. You mentioned in your OP that your job was for three years, not your visa, hence my questions and assumptions. My apologies for not being as familiar with the visa you're on as other J1s.

Either way, I'm glad you have sorted it out and you can go when you want to.

stinkle · 21-08-2014 10:25pm

lil_lisa wrote: »

stinkle, I was simply trying to understand what your situation is in order to help. You mentioned in your OP that your job was for three years, not your visa, hence my questions and assumptions. My apologies for not being as familiar with the visa you're on as other J1s.

Either way, I'm glad you have sorted it out and you can go when you want to.

apology accepted, thanks. Sorry if I came across badly too.

There's a multitude of reasons why someone may not be able to travel asap including bereavement, illness, pregnancy, children's education, housing situation, finance, marriage, and exams. Since i can travel anytime it's also impractical for me to go there before being on a payroll as people like landlords and banks may require such details. These are off the top of my head, I've had to deal with several of them this week alone in addition to the mess ups on the American side that have confused things further.

Please bear that in mind next time someone has a query. Other people may well be desperate to get into the US but that's their problem, and has no bearing on other people's visa issues.

jaymcg91 · 23-08-2014 10:38am

stinkle wrote: »

apology accepted, thanks. Sorry if I came across badly too.

There's a multitude of reasons why someone may not be able to travel asap including bereavement, illness, pregnancy, children's education, housing situation, finance, marriage, and exams. Since i can travel anytime it's also impractical for me to go there before being on a payroll as people like landlords and banks may require such details. These are off the top of my head, I've had to deal with several of them this week alone in addition to the mess ups on the American side that have confused things further.

Please bear that in mind next time someone has a query. Other people may well be desperate to get into the US but that's their problem, and has no bearing on other people's visa issues.

Unbelievably rude. Asking people for help and responding in a hostile way (regardless of any answer) will get you absolutely nowhere. End of story.

TimeToShine · 30-11-2014 3:04am

Which is the cheapest crowd to go with for a J1 this coming summer?

jaymcg91 · 05-12-2014 8:29pm

TimeToShine wrote: »

Which is the cheapest crowd to go with for a J1 this coming summer?

Depends on your needs. Probably best to conduct some research?

Shine7 · 09-12-2014 1:11am

Is it still the case that you cannot apply directly to the embassy for the J1, that going through the agencies still a requirement? The most recent reference I can find to this is from 2010 so I have my fingers crossed it might have been updated

Also, if anyone has any experience with IICentre did you find that process ok or was it hassle?

Thanks!

lil_lisa · 09-12-2014 6:06pm

No you can't. For every work visa to the US you need a sponsor. Some visas use your current employer in Ireland, other visas use your potential employer in the US, student visas use colleges etc. For J1s, these 3rd party companies are acting as your sponsor.

jaymcg91 · 01-01-2015 7:34pm

I've booked and paid for most of my j1 with SAYIT (j1.ie). Does anybody know when I can actually book my flights (it just says coming soon). Just so i can figure out how much I still have to pay

. Thanks.

amdublin · 04-05-2020 9:27pm

Any one do a year on J1 and/or file taxes in the US?

Did you use software?
Or do it online?
Any advice?

Ps. I know I am late! The date has been extended to July to file this year, with covid etc

J-1 FAQ & Links Superthread (Read first before posting) **UPDATED 11/7/2011**

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J-1 FAQ & Links Superthread (Read first before posting) UPDATED 11/7/2011