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Are there good ways for US companies to host international grad students in their internship programs? How hard is it for them?

Specifically I had a conversation with a few administrators at universities in Sweden and this question came up on behalf of their students.

Thanks for regularly showing up here. I went EB2NIW some years ago and still get ptsd reading these threads. Hang in there everyone struggling with immigration.

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The US companies don't have to do anything - J1 is applied by the student, he just needs a signing letter from you (German here who did this twice in 2007 and 2009). I did not have an attorney or help; just apply at the US Embassy and follow the procedure.

“Hard” meaning specifically how many lawyer/HR hours, how long are the timelines, and are there other significant risks?

The path will depend on if these are paid or unpaid internships: if paid, then the J-1 visa is probably the best option; if unpaid, then the B-1 business visitor visa is an option. For the J-1, there's really no need for a lawyer to execute the application, just to provide advice at the outset; for the B-1, I would recommend getting legal advice and support but this won't be expensive at all.

Thank you!

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