J1-Visa USA and Visa Tips for Other Countries

Great, finally the acceptance for the internship in the dream company, in the dream country, and then this: The nightmare visa application. The madness of bureaucracy can quickly turn into frustration when planning a trip, or even worse, sometimes even mean the end of the dream. At regular intervals, the visa regulations are meticulously updated, especially for popular internship countries.

We have taken a close look at the regulations of the most popular destinations, clarify common mistakes, and give tips to bring order into the tangle of bureaucracy.

As visa regulations are constantly changing, check back regularly with the government for updates. We cannot take care of the visa application process for you, but we can give you helpful tips during the process.

The most common visa for an internship in Canada is always sold out quickly due to the high number of applicants. So if you want to travel to Canada at short notice in the summer, the most you can do is to put your finger on the world map, right? Wrong! What few people know: the Working Holiday Visa is only one of 4 possibilities to legally travel to Canada for an internship. Once it is granted, you can still use one of the 400 International Co-op Internship Visa or the Young Professional Visa. And even if there are no more chances here, volunteer programs offer a bright ray of hope on the internship horizon! With such a Volunteer Permit you can only do unpaid voluntary internships in Canada for up to 16 weeks, but this program is much more flexible and easier than the other 3 ways to get a visa for Canada. So you should think carefully about how much you depend on payment, because even with the other visas payment is never guaranteed.

An internship in the smallest city-state in the world is definitely an eye-catcher on your CV. Not only because the internship in Singapore will most likely be done in an internationally known company. Those who have already dealt with the visa application process in Singapore know that only students from the 200 best universities in the world are eligible to apply. The embassy discloses on its website which universities these are exactly and which further requirements applicants have to meet.

The oldie among the backpacker countries can still be easily traveled with the Working Holiday Visa. The costs of approx. 300 Euros are manageable and the application is done online. The only drawback: Switzerland and also Austria lacks an agreement with Australia. Therefore, only Germans under 30 years of age can benefit from an international internship in Australia. However, if it should be Oceania, Austrians and the Swiss can switch to New Zealand.

Aotearoa, the land of the long white cloud - As fluffy and light as New Zealand's indigenous name, so is the application for the Working Holiday Visa, which is necessary for the internship in New Zealand. Unlimited and cheap for Germans it is THE way into an exciting New Zealand adventure, Austrians apply for one of the 100 places in April/May. Young people from Switzerland can make use of the Students Visa, one of the many alternatives to the Working Holiday.

If your head is already burning after reading through it, that's not too bad. If you are not able to make adequate preparations for your stay abroad for reasons of time or cost, there are still alternatives! Whether paid or unpaid, as an EU-citizen you can work almost all over Europe without any further visa requirements. Unlimited possibilities or legendary surf beaches are also available in England or Spain.

Drugs and prostitution are particularly widespread in large cities. Eventually, you're gonna run into it. On the one hand, it is frowned upon, on the other hand, it is part of society. So if you end up in a bar that somehow feels like a brothel, that's probably exactly what it is. Drugs are illegal, but Costa Rica has emerged as a very rich trading ground for drug cartels. For you, this means: follow your instincts, keep your hands off drugs, watch your surroundings, and if something seems too Spanish for you, move on quickly.