About J-1 Student Interns
At Yale the J-1 student intern category is most often used for Visiting Undergraduates Participating in Research and/or Clinical Activities (VUPRCA), a program available to undergraduate students 18 years or older who are currently enrolled in an undergraduate degree program (other than at Yale) and are participating in approved educational research or clinical activities under the mentorship of a Yale faculty member. Not all visiting students will qualify for the J-1 Student Intern program and for some, another Yale appointment or program is more appropriate. Most graduate students are not eligible. The list below provides possible alternatives for those who do not meet the Student Intern program criteria.
- Visiting Assistant in Research (VAR)
- Visiting Student – Division of Special Registration (DSR)
- Postgraduate Associate
- Postgraduate Fellow
If you have any questions about VUPRCA, please email ehsintegrator@yale.edu.
Eligibility for J-1 Intern
To qualify as eligible for the J-1 Student Intern category, the participant must be:
- Currently enrolled and in good academic standing at an accredited postsecondary academic institution outside the U.S. pursuing the equivalent of a U.S. bachelor's degree.
- Fulfilling educational objectives for current degree program outside the U.S.
- Able to verify English language skills sufficient to function on a day to day basis in the program.
- Returning as an enrolled student to the home institution after the Yale program in order to “fulfill and obtain a degree.”
- Provide proof of health insurance that meets the minimum requirements of the J-1 visa and will cover at a minimum the start and end dates of the Yale internship.
- Participating in an internship that consists of a minimum of 32 hours per week and includes no more than 20% clerical work.
- Eligible for the Visiting Undergraduates Participating in Research or Clinical Activities appointment or participating in an established internship program sponsored by Yale University
- The internship must be minimum 3 weeks long.
- Participation in the J-1 Student Intern category is limited to a maximum of 12 months over the lifetime of the individual participant.
Obtaining Immigration Documents
The host department must create a New Sponsorship Request (NSR) for the J-1 Student Intern to initiate the process.
Once the NSR is submitted with all required information and documents, within 10 business days from date of complete submission OISS will:
- issue the form DS-2019 (visa document) and the form DS-7002 (training plan),
- contact the department to have the DS-7002 form signed by the faculty sponsor,
- wait for the Yale department to submit a “Host Faculty Signed DS-7002” request in OISS Connect,
- upload the signed DS-2019 and DS-7002 forms in OISS Connect, and email the J-1 Student Intern with instructions o how to access their immigration documents electronically and what to do next.
Applying for a J-1 Visa
The Student Intern will apply for a J-1 visa at a U.S. Embassy/Consulate with the DS-2019 and DS-7002 forms.
*Canadian citizens do not need to apply for a visa.
Completing Orientation & OISS Check-In
The Student Intern must:
- Enroll in and complete the New Scholar Orientation in Homebase before arriving in the U.S. At the end of Homebase, you will also be asked to sign-up to attend a short virtual orientation where you will meet our team and have the opportunity to ask questions. This will be followed up by an in-person meetup where you can meet other newly arrived international scholars to Yale. Please register for both sessions. While you can register for both now, please schedule them for AFTER you have arrived in the U.S.
- Complete the virtual check-in with OISS and upload their DS-2019 and DS-7002 forms once they arrive in the U.S.
Submitting J-1 Intern Evaluation
Yale departments are required to provide OISS a written evaluation of the intern's performance in the 15 day period before the conclusion of the internship. For programs lasting more than 6 months (180 days), a midpoint evaluation is also required within 15 days of the midpoint mark. The evaluation must be submitted to OISS through OISS Connect (available under “Requests”). The final evaluation is due before the intern leaves the U.S.
