What happens next
Once your completed application form has been submitted to the 12 month Work USA Department in USIT in Dublin, your application will be vetted. If you submit via post directly to the 12 month Work USA Department, you will be contacted via phone to make payment.
The Programmes Team will contact you via phone or email if there is a problem and/or further clarification or documentation is required.
J-1 Visa Welcome Pack
The 12 month Work USA Programmes Team will contact you via post to acknowledge receipt and advise you of the status of your application. You will be sent a J-1 12 month Work USA Welcome Pack with your US Embassy/Consulate appointment date (NI applicants will have to make their own appointment through the US Consulate in Belfast Call Centre). The Welcome Pack contains full instruction on the forms etc that you will need to take to your interview.
CIEE
Once your application is processed by USIT your application forms will be sent to Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE), the official Programme Sponsors and the only organisation that can legally accept you onto the programme. CIEE will thoroughly check your eligibility.
If satisfied that all is OK, CIEE will issue you with a work authorisation document called a DS-2019, and a SEVIS receipt (I-797 or I-901). If CIEE are not satisfied, then you may be required to submit further documentation. If you are rejected full cancellation fees will apply.
If approved, CIEE will send your DS-2019 Work Authorisation Document and SEVIS Receipt to the USIT 12 month Work USA Programmes Department. Your DS-2019 and SEVIS Receipt will not be released to you until you have paid in full for your 12 month Work USA programme. If you have not paid in full by this stage, you will be contacted by a USIT representative for full payment.
Pre-departure pack
The 12 month Work USA Programmes team will check your DS-2019 and SEVIS Receipt to ensure all information is correct. If you are paid in full, the documents will be express posted to you along with your pre-departure pack provided you have paid in full. Failure to pay in full by this stage may lead to delays in getting to the US Embassy and receiving your visa.
N.B. Your pre-departure pack contains valuable information about your time in the US, so be sure to read over it before you depart and take it with you when you go!
US Embassy Interview
All participants must attend a US Embassy/Consulate interview. You must go to your Embassy/Consulate appointment with your passport and all relevant documentation as outlines in the Visa Application Guide. This document is enclosed in your J-1 12 month Work USA Welcome Pack.
Once you have been successfully interviewed, the US Embassy/Consulate will issue your J-1 visa. They generally return all documents to participants within 5-10 working days by way of the pre-paid self-addressed envelope you provided to them at your interview. Your J-1 visa is issued at the discretion of the US Embassy and neither USIT nor CIEE will be responsible if you are refused a visa. If your visa application is rejected, full cancellation fees will apply.
Return Evidence
All applicants for the 12 month Work USA programme must have sufficient return evidence in order to be approved by the US Embassy. Return evidence can be a letter from your University/College stating that you will return to resume or continue your studies after your placement. For applicants not intending to return to study, this should be a letter from an Irish employer stating that when you return from the US there will be a job available for you. If you hold a property deed for an Irish property this will also be accepted in some cases. Please note, all return evidence is adjudicated on case by case bases. It is the participant's responsibility to convince the US Embassy/Consulate Official that they will abide by the regulations of the programme and return to Ireland at the end of their visa.