Only One J-1 Trainee Program Allowed
Posted Oct 17, 2003

The U.S. Department of State (DOS) issued a Notice on October 1, 2003 to all sponsors of J-1 training programs, informing them that the regulations governing those programs allow foreign nationals to participate in only one trainee program. This refers only to one type of J-1 program, for "trainees." It should not be confused with any of the many other types of J-1 programs, which include J-1 programs for professors, research scholars, and foreign medical graduates, as well as au pairs and camp counselors.

Regulation Not Changed

The Notice does not change the law or regulations. Rather, its purpose is to clarify the matter for the program sponsors. All J-1s, including trainees, must have an authorized sponsoring organization, which issues the necessary form, the DS-2019 (formerly IAP-66). These organizations are authorized by DOS to act as sponsors. DOS became aware that some of the sponsors were requesting second training programs, which is in violation of the DOS interpretation of the existing regulations.

Timeframes

To further clarify the matter, the Notice explained that the timeframes allowed for training programs. Trainees may be admitted to the U.S. for up to eighteen months. However, some sponsors are designated for twelve-month programs, others for the full eighteen months. If the program is a twelve-month program, there is a process for the sponsor to request an exceptional extension of six months, for a total of eighteen months, through the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS). If the program sponsor is designated to administer an eighteen-month program, and the participant is admitted only for a twelve-month program, the extension of time is easier to obtain. In this event, the sponsor may determine that more time is needed for more training or advanced training in the same area. To accomplish this, the sponsor may extend the training program by six months. Therefore, while extensions up to eighteen months may be allowed, the extension must be part of the same program.