Schedule an Appointment
For Administrators
J-1 Employment Academic Training

What is Academic Training?
Academic Training is designed to provide students with employment experience to complement their programs of study in the United States. Therefore, the work must be directly related to the students’ fields of study, and it must be commensurate to their levels of education. Students may engage in Academic Training during their academic programs and/or after the completion of the programs as long as the total amount of training does not exceed the prescribed time limitations indicated below. Please note that Academic Training cannot be authorized for permanent employment.

Eligibility
A J-l student is eligible for Academic Training if he or she:

  • is in good academic standing or has successfully completed a program of study;
  • is participating in Academic Training that is directly related to his or her major field of study;
  • is authorized in advance to engage in Academic Training through written approval of the Responsible Officer (for Harvard students under Harvard’s J-l Exchange Visitor program sponsorship, the Responsible Officer would be an advisor in the HIO).

Time Limitations
Academic Training can be authorized for the following:

  • Undergraduate programs: 18 months
  • Two year Master programs: 18 months
  • Students enrolled in degree programs that are less than 18 months can be authorized Academic Training only for the time equal to or less than the length of their programs.
  • Doctorate programs: up to 36 months of Academic Training, out of which only 18 months may be used before the completion of study. Please note that a maximum of 18 months of Academic Training can be authorized at a time.

Academic Training may be used during the academic program or after the completion of programs.

For post-completion Academic Training, the employment is authorized by the Responsible Officer before the completion of the academic program.

APPLICATION PROCEDURES (IF YOUR FORM DS-2019 IS ISSUED BY HARVARD UNIVERSITY)

(If you have a Form DS-2019 from another organization, please contact that organization for instructions about Academic Training.)

Step 1: Obtain a job offer letter on letterhead stationery from your employer containing: an explanation of the goals and objectives of the proposed employment, the start and end dates of the employment (not to exceed the prescribed time limitations), the number of hours per week, the salary to be paid, the location of the training, and the supervisor’s name and address.

Step 2: Take the employer’s letter and the attached form (Application Form for J-1 Student Academic Training) to your academic advisor at your school and ask him/her to complete the form, sign it, and return it to you. HBS students should go to SAS for the signature

Step 3: It is not necessary to have an appointment with your advisor in the HIO to apply for Academic Training. You may mail or drop off the letter from your employer and the completed application form to the HIO. If everything is in order, your advisor will authorize your Academic Training and issue a new Form DS-2019 so that you may have permission to work in the United States. With the new Form DS-2019, you will also get an employment authorization letter to show your eligibility for employment with your employer. For post-completion Academic Training, please submit the necessary paperwork to the HIO before the program completion date indicated on item 3 of your DS-2019.

N.B. If you change employers after the authorization, you will need to repeat this procedure.


download the application in PDF format