1. When are the participants available to start the program?
- The Career Development programs are year-round programs. Participants arrive in the U.S. on the programs throughout the year.

2. What Taxes are the participants exempt from?
- J-1 participants are exempt from Social Security and Medicare tax.
All J-1 participants are temporary visitors with nonresident, nonimmigrant status and are not eligible to receive the benefits of U.S. social programs such as Social Security, Medicare and FICA and are therefore exempt from paying these taxes.

3. What taxes is my company as a host, exempt from?
- As a host company, you are exempt from Social Security, Medicare, and Federal Unemployment taxes, regarding the J-1 participants.

4. Is the participant subject to Federal, State, and Local Income Tax Withholding?
- Yes. Participants who earn income while in the United States ARE subject to Federal (always), State and City taxes (as applicable). Failure to report and pay Federal Income taxes may result in the loss of future visitation privileges to the U.S.

5. Where do the program applicants come from?
- Applicants are mainly from Asia, Europe and Latin America.

6. Can all program participants speak English?
- Yes. ICCE assesses applicants' spoken English skills through a phone interview. All applicants are also interviewed in English at the U.S. Embassy, before they are granted a J-1 Visa in their home country.

7. Do you recruit these participants directly?
- No, ICCE is not a recruiting agency. ICCE works with many abroad partners in charge of recruiting new applicants, verifying their eligibility, screening their education background, assessing their English language skills, and running reference checks as well, before submitting their applications to ICCE for consideration.

8. What if I already have a person who works at one of our offices overseas, and want to bring him/her as a J-1 participant? Is this possible?
- Yes this is possible. ICCE would evaluate the applicant's eligibility for the program and if eligible, we would proceed as a self placement.
Please contact an ICCE representative at (213)380-4546 for more information.

9. Do we sponsor the participant's visa?
- No, your company does not sponsor a participant's visa. An organization designated by the U.S. Department of State is the participant's visa sponsor.

10. Do we pay to host a participant on this program?
- No, host organizations do not pay for being a part of this program, or for ICCE's services.

11. What type of positions are excluded from the program?
- Participants cannot be placed in unskilled or casual labor positions, in positions that involve child care or elderly care, cosmetology, martial arts, or any kind of work that involves patient care or direct physical contact.

12. What is the maximum duration of the training and internship programs?
- Training Program's maximum duration is 18 months
Internship Programs are limited to 12 months.

13. How many hours a week do the participants work?
- Due to the low stipend that participants will be receiving, ICCE suggests 40 hours per week. However, the J-1 Rules & Regulations state a minimum of 32 hours per week as a requirement.