Forum:Summer internship in bioinfromatics - timing and visa issues

Question

[dolevrahat]

Hello

I am an Israeli M.Sc. bioinformatics student. I am planning to submit my thesis and finish all other obligations related to the Master's degree in the coming 4-6 months, and am currently considering a summer internship in the industry in the U.S. (I'm open to internships in other countries as well, but as far as I know most openings for internships in bioniformatics are in the U.S., so I'm focusing on that). I have several questions:

1. Most companies/organizations offering such internships state that they are looking for students who plan to return to their studies in the term following the internship. In my case, if all goes well, I will probably graduate shortly before the summer. Is that likely to be a major disadvantage?

2. Most companies offering internships state that they do not offer visa sponership. I understand that sponsorship for a J1 visa can be obtained by agencies such as Cultural Vistas, Intrax and the like, but the fees are quite expensive (1000 USD or more). What are the chances that a company hosting me as intern will agree to pay this fee (or a substantial part of it)? Also, at what stage of negotiating with a host company is it best to bring up the issue of the visa sponsorship fee?

Thank you all in advance

Answer 1

[Ram]

In my experience, institutions are a lot more willing to sponsor post-docs than interns on J1, which makes sense. The fact that you need a visa to just start an internship here can be a huge disadvantage - I cannot think of a single instance where I've heard of an intern come to the US on a visa.

I'd recommend you apply, but also manage expectations. Apply to institutions both local and abroad - the US, Canada or Europe. Do not bring up the visa barrier until they bring it up or they like you a lot.

Answer 2

[Michael]

You might consider Europe as well if the application is a problem, you won't need Visa for some countries, or if it won't cost you much to apply. Not all institutes or companies might announce their internships properly but it doesn't hurt to ask.

[dolevrahat]

Thanks! As I said I'm completely open to this idea. Do you have any recommendations where to look for comapnies in Europe or in Canada that might be offering internsips?

[Michael]

Well, we would, but we are not a company. Maybe EMBL/EBI https://www.embl.de/training/undergraduates/ ?