J-1 Visa : Korea WEST

AIPT is designated by the U.S. Department of State to sponsor six categories of the J-1 visa: trainee, intern, summer work & travel, teacher, camp counselor and Korea WEST. Created by a memorandum of understanding between then-Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice and Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan of South Korea, the Korea WEST Program allows qualifying university students from South Korea to enter the United States for up to a period of 18 months on the J-1 Exchange Visitor Program. Participants will study English in a formal, classroom setting, complete a career-focused internship and travel independently throughout the United States.

Further Explanation
Eligibility Requirements
Host Employer Requirements

The WEST program is an innovative exchange program that allows qualifying university students and recent university graduates from the Republic of Korea to enter the United States for a period up to 18 months on the J-1 Exchange Visitor Program. This visa provides students the opportunity to study English, participate in internships, and travel independently at the end of their program. In the future, it is planned that U.S. students will be given the same opportunities in the Republic of Korea. The U.S. Department of State selected AIPT in 2008 as a designated Sponsor of the WEST program.

Neither AIPT, nor the U.S. Department of State, is involved in the selection of WEST participants. The participating students and graduates are hand-selected by MEST, the Korean Ministry of Engineering, Science and Technology.

Dun & Bradstreet Number: Host employer must provide a valid DUNS number.
Employer Identification Number (EIN): Host employer must provide a valid EIN.
Worker's Compensation Policy: Host employer must provide details on a valid worker's compensation policy at time of application submittal. The policy must remain valid throughout the duration of the program, either due to the length of the policy or through a renewal.
DS7002 (Training/Internship Placement Plan): The DS7002 form is required by the U.S. Department of State and outlines the objectives of the training program and also explains the skills or experience the exchange visitor will acquire during the program. The DS7002 must be signed by the exchange visitor, the supervisor at the training site and the visa sponsor (AIPT). The signatures do not have to be originals; however, all three signatures must be on the same form.
Site Visit: Per the U.S. Department of State J-1 visa regulations, AIPT will require a site visit to be conducted at a host employer if ALL of the following are true:
- The host employer has not hosted a successful program* within the three years prior to submitting the program application AND
- The host employer has fewer than 25 employees at the program site AND
- The host employer has an annual revenue of less than $3 million

*The U.S. Department of State defines a successful training program as one in which the participant has submitted required evaluations to sponsoring organization. Programs of 6 months or less only require a final evaluation and programs longer than 6 months require a mid-term and a final.