Applying for J-1 Visa Sponsorship

• Each phase must be different and build off the previous phase.
• Responses should be detailed enough for InterExchange and consular officials to understand what your participant will be doing and learning. We recommend at least 3-4 sentences.
• Explain industry-specific acronyms or abbreviations following their initial use or in the “Additional Phase Remarks” section.
• Refer to your Intern/Trainee as “the participant” throughout the Training Plan for ease of reusing the plan for future participants. 

Select Phase Supervisor

• Select the phase supervisor from the dropdown list.

  • The phase supervisor is responsible for providing day-to-day, on-site training during this particular phase.
  • The phase supervisor may be different from the main program supervisor (selected in the Program Information host form). The main supervisor is InterExchange’s point of contact for overall program logistics.
  • The phase supervisor must sign the phase from their own account. If they do not have an account, invite them by clicking “Invite Colleague” in the “Contacts” tab.

Phase Name

• Provide a descriptive phase name to indicate the objective, focus, or departmental rotation for this phase. 
  • For example:
    “Social Media Marketing” and “Marketing Analytics”

Phase Start Date and Phase End Date

• Indicate the first and last day of the phase. No phase can exceed 4 months. If your program is longer than 4 months, you will need more than one phase!

Description of Trainee/Intern’s role for this program or phase

• Introduce the general concept of this training phase and the participant’s role. Clarify how this phase fits into both your company’s mission and the academic/professional background of the intern/trainee.

  • For example:
    “The participant will train with Career Training USA’s Communication Department. They will learn strategies for individual and mass communication with various stakeholders and clients. This phase will build upon their communications coursework in a practical setting.”

Specific goals and objectives for this program or phase

• Outline the goals and objectives the training in this phase is intended to accomplish and the expected outcomes. This is not meant to articulate how the participant will help you achieve organizational goals and objectives.

  • For example:
    “The goal of this phase is to strengthen the participant’s communication skills by teaching different writing styles for various audiences. By the end of the phase, the participant will be able to effectively write content for both native and non-native English speakers, and understand how to both execute and measure communications and outreach campaigns.”

Please list the names and titles of those who will provide continuous (for example, daily) supervision of the Trainee/Intern, including the primary supervisor. What are these persons’ qualifications to teach the planned learning?

• Include all phase supervisors’ names, titles, and a brief description of their relevant professional backgrounds that qualify them to provide training in the participant’s field. The phase supervisor who signs this phase as well as the main program supervisor must be included in the supervisors referenced.

• Please use this template for each supervisor:
  – Name
  – Title
  – Education
  – Years of experience in the field
  – Years with the organization

  • For example:
    “Jane Doe, Communications Manager. MA in Communications. Nine years experience within the communications field, three years at InterExchange.”

What plans are in place for the Trainee/Intern to participate in cultural activities while in the United States?

• Since this is a cultural exchange program, you are required to facilitate cultural activities outside the training environment. Provide specific examples of cultural activities that you will facilitate, such as bringing them to your office’s favorite local restaurant, including them in annual or monthly diversity programming, showing them local holiday celebrations, or including them in company-sponsored events.

• Please use this template as a starting point for your response:
  – During this phase, we will involve this participant in (list any company sponsored events, ie. happy hour, potluck, holiday celebration, etc.).
  – We plan to show this participant (local museum, monument, attraction, or historic site, etc.).
  – We plan to bring them to (local restaurants, festivals, or volunteer activity, etc.).

  • For example: 
    “During this phase, we plan to involve the participant in our annual DEI observances of Black History Month, Women’s History Month, AAPI Heritage Month, and Pride month. We plan to show this participant the City Art Museum and the Local Nature Reserve. Lastly, we plan to bring the participant to our favorite local restaurant, Good Eats, for our regular happy hour. Every year, our organization volunteers with a local food bank, and the participant will be included in this.”

What specific knowledge, skills, or techniques will be learned?

• Provide specific examples of what the participant will learn by training in the United States with your organization and how this learning builds upon their previous academic coursework (if they are interns) or upon their previous work experience (if they are trainees).

  • For example:
    “The participant will learn how to create and manage email, social media, and website content that is attractive, SEO optimized, and catered to individual audiences. They will learn how to write content for and manage communication styles for various audience segments and subscribers. They will enhance their communication skills by learning to create content for webinars and other external communications events.”

How, specifically, will these knowledge, skills, or techniques be taught? Include specific tasks and activities (Interns) and/or methodology of training and chronology/syllabus (Trainees).

• In this section, explain the way in which the Intern or Trainee is going to learn the skills you listed previously, and how they will accomplish the goals of the training plan. Be specific! Provide examples for each method or technique that you will use to teach the relevant skills for this phase. Demonstrate a plan for guided training, not simply an assignment of tasks.

  • For example:
    “The participant will learn by shadowing the manager. During the first weeks of this phase they will be given process documents and style guides to learn best practices. Next, they will be given specific blog posts to write and have critiqued by the manager. They will also be asked to prepare a slate of social media posts for various clients.”

How will the Trainee/Intern’s acquisition of new skills and competencies be measured?

• Explain how the Intern or Trainee’s progress will be evaluated and how you will ensure that the goals and objectives of this phase are achieved. What will a successful training look like for you and your Intern or Trainee? What criteria will you use to determine they’ve achieved the goals for the phase? How will you measure their progress? 

  • For example:
    “The participant will send all work produced to the supervisor for review and critical feedback. They will meet one-on-one twice a week to ask questions, discuss obstacles, learning goals, and pending projects. At the end of this phase a written evaluation will be given to the participant.”

Additional Phase Remarks (optional)

• Any miscellaneous information can be added to this section. Hosts may also continue their responses to any of the above questions here. 

• If your office operates on a hybrid model, please note the planned in-office/remote schedule for the participant here, keeping in mind that they may participate remotely no more than 40% of their program (e.g., two out of five days per week).

  • For example:
    “Participant will train in-office Monday through Thursday and will be remote on Fridays.”