Who is Eligible

You must be over 18 years old and;

• hold HSC or equivalent (for Australians) or the NCEA (for New Zealanders)
• be a full-time student enrolled at a university, or a technical education provider, such as TAFE in Australia or Polytechnic in NZ (minimum Diploma level course of two years duration)
• no part-time students can be accepted
• must have completed the first 12 months of studies
• must commence your training or have graduated from such an institution no more than 12 months prior to your prospective program start date
• have fluent spoken and written English skills

International Students are eligible to apply but the granting of visas is at the discretion of the US consulate.

International Students

Applicants must apply for their chosen Trainee Program while in their home country or their country of current study or work.

Applicants for visas should generally apply at the American Embassy or Consulate with jurisdiction over their place of permanent residence. Although visa applicants may apply at any US consular office abroad, it may be more difficult to qualify for the visa outside the country of permanent residence.

The Individual US Embassy/Consulate in a given country may have a strict policy when interviewing an applicant who is applying for a visa from outside his home country. Certain Embassies/Consulates will not accept applications from “third country nationals”. In this case, the applicant may register for a CIEE Trainee Program in his current country of residence but must apply for the visa in his country of citizenship.

It is the responsibility of all International students to be aware of any regulations or restrictions specific to their nationality when applying for a J-1 Trainee visa from Australia or New Zealand.