Eligibility requirements for a Host Company
Eligibility requirements for a Host Company
In order to host an Exchange Visitor, the Host Company must adhere to certain structural requirements in order to ensure that the intern or trainee is adequately supervised, in accordance with the mission of the Exchange Visitor Program.
Additionally, the Host Company must maintain a minimum of an Business-J1 Level Membership with FACCNE.
You will find below a list of the most important eligibility requirements for new host companies:
- Intern/Trainee Program must be paid at least the local prevailing minimum wage;
- Intern/Trainee Program must be on a full-time basis (32 – 40 hours per week);
- Intern/Trainee Program is a bona-fide training program and does not constitute work;
- Hosting company has to have sufficient structure and a dedicated manager on-site to provide proper supervision for Intern/Trainee;
- Hosting company must agree to pay the FACC J-1 administrative fees;
- Hosting Company must have valid FACC membership to their local chapter;
New requirements to host an Intern or Trainee:
- Sufficient Structure
1) Minimum 1 Full-Time Employee for each intern or trainee.
2) If the host company has no U.S. citizen/green card holder employees, the company will fill out a Cultural Plan.
The Cultural Plan explains how the intern will be exposed to American culture (via U.S. colleagues, clients, company outings, etc...)
- Hosting
If a company doesn’t have a presence in the U.S., it may host via an existing business partner in the same industry. The Company will be required to submit information on their business relationship with a U.S.-based Host (this can be a local distributor, strategic partner, client...)
- Timeline to Hire
The 90-day non-hiring period after the end of the J-1 visa has been eliminated. A Host company does not have to wait 90 days to hire an Exchange Visitor in the United States following the end of their training or internship program
For more information about your eligibility as a Host Company, please read the FACC EVP Guidelines, Host Company Eligibility Checklist and the VIE Hosting Guidelines.
