Have you been offered an internship opportunity at an organization based in the United States?  Here are some basic requirements of all private sector internship programs sponsored through the American Immigration Council:

• Duration of Stay: Minimum 3 weeks, Maximum 12 months
  
  
• Age Requirements: Minimum age 18 years, no maximum
  
  
• English Proficiency: Documented interview to determine enough English language proficiency (conducted by our staff)
  
  
• Repeat Participation: Interns may qualify for sponsorship to return to the United States for additional internship programs if they remain eligible for the internship category. This includes currently enrolled students at the next level of study, or recent graduates who may have completed a previous internship during the course of study.
  
  
• Student or Graduate Status: Evidence of current enrollment or graduation within the past 12 months from a ministerially-recognized post-secondary, degree-granting academic program outside of the United States. Degrees earned from U.S. institutions or dual-degree programs with a U.S.-based degree component do not count toward eligibility for an internship exchange program. The internship training plan and field of academic study must relate
  
  
• Financial Support: Total financial support must equal at least three times (3x) the reasonable cost of rent in the host community for the entire duration of stay.  

Have you been approached by a U.S.-based organization interested in providing training to strengthen ties with markets and providers overseas?  Here are some basic requirements of all private sector training programs sponsored through the American Immigration Council:

• Duration of Stay: Minimum 3 weeks, Maximum 18 months.
  
  
• Age Requirements: Minimum age 18 years, no maximum.
  
  
• English Proficiency: Documented interview to determine enough English language proficiency (conducted by Council staff).
  
  
• Repeat Participation: Trainees are subject to a 24-month bar between repeat participation in exchange visitor programs. Time on the 24-month bar is measured from the date the last exchange program ended. 
  
  
• Professional Qualification: Evidence of a post-secondary degree related directly to the field of training and a minimum of 1-year related work experience, both gained outside of the U.S., or a minimum of 5 years related full-time work experience gained outside of the United States. Applicants for sponsorship with degrees from U.S. institutions must be able to tie the training offer to a degree earned outside of the U.S. Applicants who have completed Optional Practical Training (OPT) must still have a degree and work experience gained outside of the U.S. and their training program must be significantly different from their OPT.
  
  
• Financial Support: Total financial support must equal at least three times (3x) the reasonable rent in the host community per month for the entire duration of stay. 

Potential host companies must be able to document and/or demonstrate the following to meet basic eligibility requirements:

• The organizational goals and bona fide internship or training opportunity align with the American Immigration Council’s permitted instructional categories (above);
  
  
• Must employ at least 6 full-time employees on the site where the exchange visitor receives training;

• Ensures the exchange visitor will not be engaged in ordinary employment and will not be used to fill a position that could be filled by U.S.-based workers;
  
  
• Has the appropriate facility, equipment, and operating structure to provide the proposed training or internship experience (including verified telephone number, physical address, marketing, website, etc.);
  
  
• Employs qualified mentors to provide daily, on-site supervision of trainees or interns;
  
  
• Remains prepared to accommodate a host site visit from the American Immigration Council or the Department of State upon request;

• Provides monetary and/or non-monetary compensation directly to the visitor;

• Submits verifiable Worker's Compensation Insurance Policy or equivalent (typically a "Certificate of Liability")