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Academic Training
"Academic Training" refers to certain types of study-related employment.
This page tells you the conditions that you have to meet in order to qualify
for "Academic Training," and how to apply.
"Academic Training" is flexible in its format and offers a variety of employment
situations to supplement your academic program in the United States. It is
available before completion of your program of study as well as afterwards.
As long as you stay within the stipulated time limits, it lets you work part-time
while classes are in session and full-time during vacation periods; and, under
certain circumstances, you may interrupt study to work full-time, for example
while you are writing a thesis. J-1 students in non-degree programs are eligible
for "Academic Training."
For advice and for further
information, consult your J-1 Responsible Officer or your international
student adviser (who in many cases will be the same person).
Your J-1 Responsible Officer
To qualify for "Academic Training," you must first obtain approval in writing
from your J-1 Responsible Officer, who represents your J-1 sponsor and issues
your Forms DS-2019 (formerly known as the IAP-66). He or she must evaluate
the proposed employment in terms of your program of study and your individual
circumstances, and then decide whether it would be appropriate or not. If
your school is your sponsor, then your J-1 Responsible Officer is probably
your international student adviser. If your J-1 sponsor is an agency, and
if you are uncertain how to reach your J-1 Responsible Officer, your international
student adviser will help you find out, but has no authority to grant employment
permission.
Conditions
Eligibility
- Your primary purpose in the United States must be study rather than "Academic
Training."
- You must be in good academic standing at the school named on your
Form DS-2019 (passing GPA for part-time Academic Training during the
semester; 2.0 for undergraduates, 3.0 for graduates).
- The proposed employment must be directly related to your major field
of study.
- Throughout your "Academic Training" you must maintain permission to stay
in the United States, in J-1 student status, and apply for extensions as
necessary.
- You must maintain health insurance coverage for yourself and any J-2
dependents throughout your "Academic Training."
Limitations - general
- Your employment may be authorized for "the length of time necessary to
complete the goals and objectives of the training, provided that the
amount of time . . . is approved by [both] the academic dean or advisor
and . . . the responsible officer," to quote the regulations. It may
not exceed "the period of full course of study" or 18 months, whichever
is shorter. If you receive a Ph.D., however, your "post-doctoral training"
may last as long as 36 months. Additional "Academic Training," beyond
the 18- or 36-month limit, is allowed only if it is required for the
degree.
- Part-time employment for "Academic Training" counts against the 18- or
36-month limit the same as full-time employment.
- Earning more than one degree does not increase your eligibility for "Academic
Training."
After completion of your program of study . . .
- "Academic Training" approved after completion of your program must be
reduced by any prior periods of "Academic Training."
- "Academic Training" following completion of your program of study must
involve paid employment.
- Whether the other items in the application are ready yet or not, you
must obtain a written offer of appropriate employment and present a copy
to your J-1 Responsible Officer no later than 30 days after the end of
your program, or you will lose eligibility for "Academic Training" after
completion.
- If you plan to leave the United States after you complete your program
of study and reenter the country for J-1 "Academic Training," you must
obtain employment authorization before you leave. Otherwise you will have
trouble reentering. Consult your J-1 Responsible Officer for advice.
The application
- Obtain a letter of offer from your prospective employer that includes
your job title, a brief description of the "goals and objectives" of
your "Training program" (your employment), the dates and location of
the employment, the number of hours per week, and the name and address
of your "training supervisor" (the quotations come from the regulations).
Please refer to our sample
employer letter for assistance. Be sure your employer's letter
is on company letterhead and includes all of the details required by
the J-1 regulations.
- Give a copy of your employer's letter to your academic adviser or
dean. Your advisor or dean will use the information to fill out
the Academic Adivsor's
Recommendation Form. According to the text of the J-1 regulation,
your adviser/dean must provide the following information on the recommendation
form:
- The goals and objectives of the specific training program;
- A description of the training program, including its location,
the name and address of the training supervisor, number of
hours per week, and dates of the training;
- How the training relates to the student's major field of
study; and
- Why it is an integral or critical part of the academic program
of the exchange visitor student. Your adviser must also approve
your "Academic Training" "for the length of time necessary to complete
the goals and objectives of the training."
- When your academic adviser's recommendation is ready, you should deliver
or send it to your J-1 Responsible Officer, with a copy of the employer's
letter attached.
- Your J-1 Responsible Officer must evaluate the "Academic Training" program
and decide whether it is warranted and appropriate. If so, he or she will
write you a letter of approval. To authorize "post-doctoral taining" your
J-1 Responsible Officer must also issue you a new Form DS-2019, for no
more than 18 months at a time.
Authorization to work
A Social Security Number. To put you on the payroll, your employer will
need your Social Security number, which you can obtain by applying for a Social
Security card. Take your passport (if you are Canadian you may use another form
of photo-bearing identification), I-94 Departure Record card, the pink copy of
your Form DS-2019, and your J-1 Responsible Officer's written work authorization
to an office of the Social Security Administration. Your Social Security card
may be stamped "Not Valid for
Employment." That stamp will not make you ineligible to work; it means only that
no funds will ever go into the Social Security account
represented by that number.
Form I-9, "Employment Eligibility Verification." When you begin work,
you and your employer must complete Form I-9, which requires you to document
your identity and work authorization according to directions on the back of
the Form. Of the various items acceptable as documentation, you may find that
the most convenient combination is your passport (or other photo-bearing identification
if you are Canadian), I-94 Departure Record card, the pink copy of Form DS-2019,
and your J-1 Responsible Officer's written work authorization. Your employer,
who keeps Form I-9, will make copies of the documents you submit, and return
the originals to you. Form I-9 must be updated any time that you receive a
renewal of your permission for "Academic Training."
Social Security and other taxes
Social Security taxes. In general, as a J-1 student you will be exempt
from Social Security (F.I.C.A.) taxes for your first five years in the United
States, as long as you continue to declare non-resident status for tax purposes
(see Internal Revenue Service Publication 519, "U.S. Tax
Guide for Aliens."
Federal, state and local taxes. Unless you qualify under a tax treaty
between the United States and your home government, your earnings as a J-1
student will be subject to applicable federal, state and local taxes, and
employers are required by law to withhold those taxes from your paychecks.
By April 15 you must file a federal income tax return and a "Required Statement" covering
the prior calendar year to determine whether you owe more taxes or have a
refund coming.
A note of caution
As a J-1 student you are eligible for a variety of work opportunities in the
United States, but employment without proper authorization is a serious violation
of your status. Remember that before you start any kind of employment, you must
first consult your J-1 Responsible Officer, whose written approval is necessary
in advance. |
