Work Permit Authorization Service

The IAESTE United States Work Permit Service is designed for U.S. university students who have secured internships abroad. We utilize our network of more than 80 counterpart countries to supply you with the necessary immigration and work authorization documents to intern abroad for up to one year, depending on the particular country.

Eligibility Requirements

In order to apply for the IAESTE Placement Program, you must fulfill all of the eligibility conditions below. If you have questions concerning your eligibility, please contact us at iaeste@aipt.org.

Internship Offer: You must have received a firm internship offer from an overseas employer. We cannot assist until a commitment has been made by the employer. Additionally, your employer must be prepared to register with our counterpart office and pay any necessary fees, which vary by country.
Training: The internship must be directly related to your field of study. Internships must also consist of 35 hours per week and be paid.
Age: You must be at least 18 years of age at the time of application, and not more than 30. (This is the age mandated by IAESTE's international body.)
Enrollment: You must be currently enrolled full-time in a Bachelor's, Master's, or Ph.D. program at an accredited 4-year U.S. college or university at the time of application. We cannot accept recent graduates.
Citizenship: You are not required to be a U.S. citizen to qualify for our assistance. International students studying in the U.S. are welcome to apply. However, some nationalities require additional visa or entry documents. Non-U.S. citizens/permanent residents must normally hold a valid U.S. visa and supporting documents (I-20/DS-2019/I-94) in order to receive a visa for the country of training (if applicable).
Residence: You must be living in the United States at the time of application.
Major: The Work Permit Service is designed primarily for students in technical fields of study (i.e. engineering, computer science, math, natural and physical sciences, architecture, and agricultural science.) However, we can assist students in other fields of study depending upon the country of training; please contact us at iaeste@aipt.org for current information.

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Participating Countries

The following is a list of countries which are currently participating in the Work Permit Service. As this list is subject to change at any time, please contact us at iaeste@aipt.org to inquire whether the particular country in which you have located an internship is participating, and what the maximum length of stay is for that country.

Africa: Sierra Leone, South Africa, Tunisia
Asia: China, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Thailand, Turkey, Uzbekistan
Australia
Europe: Armenia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Lithuania, Luxembourg**, Macedonia, Malta, Montegnegro, Norway**, Poland, Portgual, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain**, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine
North America: Canada*, Mexico
South America: Argentina, Brazil, Colombia**, Ecuador, Uruguay

*Will only accept American citizens with American passports.
**Will only accept students with internships in technical fields.
***Maximum length of internship is 12 weeks.

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Application Process

The following is a broad overview of the application process for the Work Permit Service. For complete details, please download an application package, found Here.

Submit the application materials. A complete application includes the "Work Permit Service" application form, the U.S. Student Insurance form, the program fee plus any insurance fees (if applicable), and any other documents requested for your country of training. Country-specific requirements are outlined in the application form.
Your employer will register with the IAESTE office in their country. If your employer has not already done this, we will supply the contact information for our IAESTE counterpart.
Once registration is complete for both you and your employer (including all fees and completed applications), IAESTE will prepare and send you the appropriate working documents. Please note that the working documents will not be released until both you and your employer have registered with the appropriate IAESTE office.
If necessary, obtain a visa/permit for your country of training from that country's Embassy/Consulate General in the United States with guidance from our office. Visa/permit fees are the sole responsibility of the applicant.
You will depart the United States for your internship.

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Fees and Financial Information

A non-refundable program fee must accompany your application; the fee structure is below. The fee structure is based on the length of the internship and your field of study. If you are unsure whether your field qualifies as technical, please contact our office at iaeste@aipt.org. IAESTE United States has the sole authority to categorize majors as technical or non-technical.

The fees are as follows:

Program Length	Technical Majors	Non-technical Majors
Up to 3 months	$350	$700
3-6 months	$450	$850
6-12 months	$550	$1,000

In addition to the program fee, students are responsible for travel costs to the internship country, health insurance, and visa/work permit fees (if applicable).

If you choose to purchase health insurance through IAESTE United States, payment in full for the duration of your internship is required at the time of application. We unfortunately cannot accept partial or deferred payment.

If you are a citizen or legal resident of a country besides the U.S. and request to have your working documents sent to your home country, you will be responsible for shipping charges.

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