Work and Travel
Application Process

To begin your application, create your free MyIntrax account. During registration, you will enter your personal information exactly as it appears in your passport. Since your DS-2019 form will be issued based on this information, it is important that your registration is complete and accurate.You will also be asked to provide information about your field of study, any relevant work experience, hobbies, and skills. You can save your progress at any time and return later to complete or update your application.Your MyIntrax account will remain your main communication portal with Intrax throughout your J-1 program.

Within 2–3 business days of registering, one of our Program Coordinators will contact you by email. Your coordinator will guide you through the application process and will ask you to submit the following documents by email:

• Copy of your passport: Page with personal data only. If you are a citizen of a member of the “six-month club“, your passport only needs to be valid as long as you stay in the USA. For all others, it needs to be valid for six months beyond the program end date.
• English test results: For non-native speakers: please do the free Testpodium ONLINE English Test Level 2. The test only takes approximately 35 minutes and is free of charge.
  
• Participant Eligibility Form: Please do not fill in the field "Intrax ID". Please print, sign with a pen, scan and send via email.
• Certificate of Enrollment/University Letter including an informal English translation.
• Contract Work Travel USA J1 Visa: Please sign.

For your attention: Intrax Terms and Conditions (You will sign these online)

Once we have received and verified your documents, we will arrange a video interview with you. During this interview, we will explain the next steps of the process in detail, answer any questions you may have, and assess your level of spoken English.This assessment helps us determine which positions are the best match for your language skills and ensures that you are prepared to communicate effectively in a professional environment.After the interview, we will issue an invoice for the non-refundable J-1 Program Application Fee.

We send you up to 3 job options that match your English level and program dates. We cannot guarantee a specific location or type of job. From these options, you select one for an interview with the employer. Intrax will organize the day and time of your interview. If you are not hired, we will send you new currently available options. If you are hired, you will move on to Step 5.

We will inform you of the outcome of your interview within 2 weeks. If you are hired, you will receive your job contract to sign electronically, as well as the invoice for the remaining program fee, which should be paid as soon as possible. Once the payment has been received, we will upload your DS-2019 to your Intrax portal.

Intrax will notify you to log in to your MyIntrax profile and complete the Intrax Online Pre-Departure Orientation and enter your embassy interview date. At this stage, you do not need to book your flight yet.

We send you:

• your SEVIS ID number (Student and Exchange Visitor Information System) so that you can arrange an appointment with the US Consulate.
• guidelines on how to fill in the visa application form (DS-160) for the U.S. Consulate
• information concerning the embassy interviews and the payment of the consulate fee
• information on how to print the SEVIS payment receipt (Intrax paid the $35 for you at this time)
• Information about the program on site: check-in, contact person, social security card, travel, change of address etc.

On the website of the US Embassy you can also read which documents you should bring to the meeting at the U.S. Consulate. Please check the wait times for the J1 visa interview at the U.S. Consulates close to you.

The interview at the US Consulate takes place in English and usually only takes a few minutes. Please bring the following documents for the visa application:

• Signed DS-2019
• Confirmation form of the online application form DS-160
• Copy of J1 visa interview appointment containing the proof of payment of the consular fee
• Proof of payment of the SEVIS fee
• Passport photo and passport
• Certificate of enrollement and university transcript

Your home ties and your future career plans in your country or residence might be addressed during the interview.  The J1 visa program is not an immigration visa and you will be expected to return to your home country once your program ends. If your visa is approved. after approx. 5 - 7 business days, you will receive your passport including your visa, DS-2019 and training plan DS-7002.

Flight ticket: Please note that the U.S. Embassy advises to book the flight only at this point. No one is liable for delaying the issuance of the visa and for fees related to a flight change.

Housing
Many host companies for work & travel students offer staff housing (basic, usually shared rooms) for relatively low costs. If not, they will surely help you with tips and direct you to housing websites relevant for the area.

The Intrax program manual is available for you in your MyIntrax Profile. Please use it as a resource for important information about your time during your J1 summer job or work travel job. When entering the USA, you need your passport with the visa and the attached DS-2019. You must also provide your first address in the USA. Your J1 visa will get activated upon entry. It is very important that you do the check-in in the MyIntrax portal within three days since Intrax needs to update your whereabouts in the SEVIS database of the U.S. government. Please also react to the email notifications every month so that Intrax can fulfill the monitoring tasks as a J1 sponsor.

Social Security Card
You need a Social Security Card. You can apply for this card approximately 4-5 days after your check-in in the USA. For further information on the Social Security Card (SSC), please refer to the Intrax program manual. For the Social Security Card application, you need the DS-2019, the I-94 number, and your passport. If you have already applied for a Social Security Card in the US you do not have to apply for a new one, just make sure you know your SSC number. The Social Security number is valid for a lifetime!

Another general note: The Social Security Card and the Social Security number noted on it is often used in the USA as a form of identification. You might need to provide this number, for example, if you want to open a bank account or purchase a mobile phone contract.

Enjoy your stay, learn a lot, keep in touch and perhaps add a link to us when writing a blog or postin on social media. We appreciate feedback, impressions and notes from the road.