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Third quarter 2007 “WISE® Support- it makes the difference” |
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Good News! WISE®
has already officially received its designation to sponsor the new J-1 Internship
category, as well as to continue to sponsor J-1 Training programs in the
categories of Hospitality & Tourism and Management; Business, Finance and
Commerce. Below
are a few quotes from training program evaluations: “[Through the training program] we have learned about professionalism with guests and associates and how to solve guest issues and complaints.” -Trainee, “This program has helped us to maintain our objective of providing a culturally diverse environment for both staff and guests. The quality of trainees has also pushed us to provide a more challenging environment for our employees.” -Training site
manager, “Not only I improved my language skills, obtain more knowledge and skills of hospitality & tourism management, but also I learned how to communicate with our members, my co-workers, how to adapt myself into a new environment. And I did well, in four months and half I got promotion from service to office, I had a chance to work at different positions, F&B service, Administrative office, Front desk, Fitness centre....” -Trainee, The
Foundation for Worldwide International Student Exchange (WISE®) is
a non-profit organization providing international exchange opportunities to
students, youth and adults. For more information about the WISE® Internship and Training
program or other programs, contact WISE® at: WISE®
Foundation 770-579-0257 Fax 770-579-0219 E-mail We’re on the Web! |
Special Edition
On July
19, the new regulations for the J-1 Training visa and the introduction of the
J-1 Internship visa went into effect.
This special edition of WISE® Training and Internship News brings you
up to date on the latest changes. To
download a copy of this newsletter in .pdf format, click here. If you
have any questions about the new regulations, or would like to make comments
or contribute to this newsletter, please contact |
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In this edition: New
eligibility requirements and WISE® recommendations News forms for new
regulations: The DS-7002
(Training/Internship Placement Plan) |
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New Eligibility Requirements and WISE® Recommendations
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Eligibility Specific eligibility criteria has
been defined for the new internship category as follows: Internship Applicants must: § Be currently enrolled in and pursuing studies at a degree- or
certificate-granting post-secondary academic institution outside of the § Be at least 18 years of age. § Have proficient English skills to perform in both social and
internship activities. The goal to improve English in the course of the
program is not a basis for which an intern will be selected to participate. § Demonstrate a career focus through educational emphasis and focus
and/or progressive professional experience in the area for which an applicant
is applying for internship. § And other requirements Changes have been made to the
eligibility criteria for training applicants, as follows: Training Applicants must: § Have a degree or professional certificate from a foreign
post-secondary institution plus 1 year of experience or 5 years of relevant
experience outside the § Be at least 18 years of age. § Have proficient English skills to perform in both social and training
activities. The goal to improve English in the course of the program is not a
basis for which a trainee will be selected to participate. § Demonstrate a career focus through educational emphasis and focus
and/or progressive professional experience in the area for which an applicant
is applying for training. § And other requirements Program Duration (for Training and Internship) All Internship programs are limited
to a maximum of 12 months. All programs in hospitality training are
generally limited to 12 months maximum. In very limited cases involving
very high levels of programs for highly qualified candidates, WISE® may
consider 18 month programs. A general guideline for a possible 18 month
program for now would be if the trainee is developing skills and
participating in assignments at an Assistant Manager or similar level of
professional development. Our expectation is that very few standard programs
will qualify for this category. WISE® strongly encourages
supervisory and administrative components in hospitality programs that are 12
months or shorter; particularly in the training category. Programs that
do not meet the 18 month criteria from the outset,
cannot later be extended beyond the 12 month regulatory guidelines. WISE® Recommendations: Beginning immediately, please
revise standard program offer letters to reflect 12 month or shorter
programs, and inform all candidates that the maximum duration of their
program will be 12 months. Please contact WISE® if you have any questions
about individual candidates and whether they may qualify for 18 month
programs.
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New
forms for new regulations
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New participant applications for Training and Internship WISE® has created a new application
for both the training and internship programs. The application is designed to
be in an easier to use format, as well as to gather information needed to
satisfy the requirements set forth by the new regulations. Applications and
instructions for both programs can be downloaded from our website here: http://WISE®.wisefoundation.com/index.php?sect=2 |
Host site eligibility form A wide range of host sites
participate in training and internship programs on behalf of sponsors. New regulations require sponsors to ensure
that these host companies are legitimate, and appropriately registered or
licensed to provide structured, work-based learning opportunities according
to the individualized Training/ Internship Placement Plans (DS-7002). The goal of this form is to collect
sufficient evidence to support a finding that participants are properly
placed with host organizations that meet these standards. WISE® must collect a copy of the
host site eligibility form from every site that hosts WISE® training or
internship participants. Please
download and complete a copy of the Host site eligibility form here. |
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The DS-7002 Training/Internship Placement Plan The Training/Internship Placement
Plan (DS-7002) effectively takes the place of the current Training Plan. This
form will be used for both internship and training programs, although the content
and design of the programs may differ. You can view and download a copy of
the DS-7002 from the Department of State’s website here: http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/84240.pdf The process for completing this
form will be similar to the current process of the creation of the training
plan. WISE® will generally take the lead on documenting the plan, coordinating
with the site in the development process to make sure that both the needs of
the site and the requirements of the visa are satisfied. There are several important
considerations to make when using this form: 1. By signing the
DS-7002 the host sites, through WISE®, are confirming that the
training/internship program is not designed to recruit and train participants
for employment in the 2. Regulations
require that all internship and training programs in hospitality and tourism
longer than six months include at least three departmental or functional
rotations. 3. Internship and
Training programs must be structured and guided, well supervised, and
specifically relate to the participant’s academic field (for internship) and
professional experience (for training). 4. Trainees and
interns on 12 month or shorter should have a program that clearly
demonstrates professional growth and progression. We believe
supervisory or managerial training during their program is a key and
important way to achieve this for both programs. Ideally this phase
should constitute at least 1/3 of the total program but levels of education
and experience may be taken into consideration particularly in the case of an
intern. For the internship program, this supervisory training can take place
concurrently with one or more of the departmental or functional rotations.
For the training program, this should be a stand alone rotation set at a
fairly high level. This should be a realistic expectation since trainees must
now have at least 5 years of related work and/or education plus one year of
related work experience in order to qualify for the program and this stage
would typically occur after as much as 8 months in the U.S on the initial
stages of the program. |
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New interview requirement |
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A new regulatory requirement is
that all participants for both training and internship categories must be
verified through a documented interview in person, by videoconferencing or by
web camera. This interview can also be used to verify the applicant’s English
language skills, which must be sufficient to function on a day-to-day basis
in the training or internship environment. (Alternatively, English language
skills can be verified by providing proof that the participant has taken and
passed a recognized English language test, however this cannot take the place
of the documented interview which is required.)
WISE® recommendations: WISE® has already updated our
technology to be able to facilitate and record web-camera interviews. We will
interview any candidate who has not already been verified by an in-person
interview, or documented web-cam or video interview. Participants who have been directed
to your property through overseas recruitment agents or from hospitality
schools may have already satisfied the new interview requirement. WISE® is
able to license select partners, such as schools and recruitment agents, to
facilitate and document the interviews on our behalf.
This new interview is meant for
further verification of suitability of a candidate for the program, but does
not necessarily need to replace the normal selection process already used by
the host company. Host companies may choose to coordinate longer, more
in-depth telephone interviews during the selection process |
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We welcome your comments. Please send all comments to If
you would prefer not to receive the WISE® Training News e-update and would
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