Internship USA

If you're old enough to vote, then you can tick the "yes please" box on this USA internship visa too.

• You must be 18+ and be able to fulfil one of the below student requirements:

• If you're a full-time enrolled student your course must be at a recognised Irish college or university (or EU or UK institution) and be at least a two-year course that ultimately leads to a degree or higher qualification. Unfortunately, online, lifelong, special purpose or distance learning courses are not permitted on this visa. If you’re not a student but have five years’ experience in the field your internship relates to, check out our Trainee USA program instead.

• If you’ve already graduated you must enter the USA within 12 months of the date on your graduation certificate. Recent graduates will also qualify for our 1-year Grad USA program.

  When to apply You can apply at any time of the year. However, it takes 12 weeks to process your application, so if you’re looking to do an internship over the summer or have already graduated, make sure you build this into your timescales.

Your internship must be related to your academic field and you must have an internship offer before we can start the process of sponsoring you to work in the USA.

Duration and salary Depending on the length of your internship, you’ll be issued with a 1-12 month visa with 30 days before and after to travel. You can do a paid or unpaid internship. The salary for paid internships will be negotiated directly with your host company and will vary depending on the city and company you intern for. You can typically expect to earn between USD $2,100-4,500 a month.

Finding an internship It’s your responsibility to secure your own internship. If you don’t have one lined up already, after you’ve paid your deposit, we’ll give you access to our Job Hub. Our dedicated Jobs team find internships with US employers in popular industries for Irish students; such as finance, marketing, media and engineering. You can search for positions and reach out directly to employers, interviewing via video call.

Approving your internship All internships and training plans must be vetted by our US sponsor to ensure they meet the visa and labour criteria. This may include a site visit to your prospective employer. For more info, check out our FAQs.

Popular industries for Irish graduates to work in are construction, engineering, tech, politics, law, finance, science, architecture, media, publishing, marketing and fashion – but you can intern in any field as long as it is related to your education.

There are some roles within certain industries such as agriculture, teaching and medicine that aren’t permitted, but our USA team will be able to guide you around these restrictions and help you find a position within that industry that is likely to be approved by our sponsor. For more on the industries you can intern in, check out our FAQs.

Popular destination for Irish graduates to intern are New York, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Diego – but you can live anywhere in the States. Check out our US city guides for more intel and inspo on where to go.

The process to apply for USA visas can be complex. But the payoff to upskill in the USA can be invaluable to your future career goals and progression. Plus, our team will support you throughout the entire process.

1. Secure your position Check you’re eligible in the tab above, start your online application and pay your deposit. If you don’t already have an internship secured, you’ll get access to our Job Hub where you can search and reach out to vetted US employers.

2. Book a call Once you have a position secured, you’ll have an in-depth call with our USA team to run through the program, answer any questions, get you set up the sponsor’s system and conduct a phone interview (this is a visa requirement).

3. Assessment by the US sponsor Your employer will need to fill out your DS7002 Training Plan which will then go to our US sponsor, for approval. If your application is approved, your work papers will be issued within 15 business days – or 21 business days if a site visit to your employer’s workplace is required.

4. Pre-departure pack Once our US Sponsor approves your application, we’ll email your DS2019 work papers, SEVIS receipt and DS7002 Training Plan to your home address. You’ll then receive your pre-departure pack by email with all the information you need to schedule your US Embassy appointment.

5. US Embassy interview You're off to the US Embassy! This interview and a 5-7 day review of your passport will provide them with the information they need to issue your visa.

6. Land in the USA Before you go, you’ll complete an online orientation with your US sponsor to make sure you’re perfectly prepped for life in the USA and they are then on hand 24/7 to support you during your stay.