What Visa should I get for an unpaid practicum?

[RaptorGirl]

First, can I say how very happy I am that this site exists? I have been asking around and googling frantically for the past week, and am just swamped by the amount of information out there.

Anyways, any advice at all would be so greatly appreciated.

My story is:
I'm a Canadian PhD student in clinical psychology. Due to an unfortunate series of events, I am stuck in graduate school for a year longer than expected, and am looking to get some experience in a different city, hopefully near to my long-term boyfriend.

It is looking very possible that he will be accepting an offer from an American graduate school. I actually found an unpaid part-time year-long practicum that would be very beneficial to me through that same university, and I am interviewing with them next week.

I'm struggling, though, to figure out what Visa I would need to accept this practicum. I would really like to be able to work at least part-time while I'm doing the practicum. As such, marrying my boyfriend (this is something we were planning on doing in the near-ish future, anyhow) and getting an F-2 is out of the question.

I know a J-1 is probably my best shot, but the whole 2-year rule afterwards is really problematic, as I was hoping to come back to the US after completing my degree requirements (likely on a TN) until he finishes his PhD.

Is there anyway I could get an F-1 visa if I could convince this university-affiliated practicum site to register me as a student? I wouldn't even mind taking a class or two, if need be. Is there anyway to do a university exchange on an F-1 rather than a J-1? Or is there any other Visa option I'm missing?

I've heard people can get a B-1 to volunteer, but I don't know much about whether that would fit for me!

(I may be able to continue telecommuting from a job in Canada, if not officially working in the US would be beneficial)

Thanks so much! If this question is way too complicated, but you may have a good source that may be able to answer it, it would be greatly appreciated!

[CalGreenCard]

I'm struggling, though, to figure out what Visa I would need to accept this practicum. I would really like to be able to work at least part-time while I'm doing the practicum. As such, marrying my boyfriend (this is something we were planning on doing in the near-ish future, anyhow) and getting an F-2 is out of the question.

First off, marrying your boyfriend, while it would make you eligible for an F-2, doesn't disqualify you from any other visa for which you might also be eligible. It's not like marrying a US citizen where, if you marry a US citizen and plan to live in the USA, it can be very hard to enter the USA as a nonimmigrant. When a married couple are both nonimmigrants, sometimes their visas are tied together, and sometimes they both have visas in their own right--both scenarios are quite legal.

So there is no reason to hold off on marrying him if you were otherwise planning to do so.

This seems to leave two scenarios--(1) accepting the practicum and at the same time accepting a part time paid job offer or (2) accepting the practicum on its own without a part time paid job offer.

For option (2), marrying your boyfriend and coming to the USA with an F-2 visa should work fine.

For option (1), be aware that the way the US immigration system works, it often works better to first get the job offer and then worry about the details of the visa--rather than the other way round. And it doesn't sound like you actually have a part time paid job offer as yet. So your focus probably should be on actually finding a job.

Once you find a job, though, I would think that a J-1 intern visa would be the way to go. Not all J-1 visa holders are subject to the 2 year rule and I don't think you would be. I know that there are, for example, many University of Waterloo co-op students who work in the USA as J-1 interns and I know that, in general, they aren't subject to the 2 year rule. The 2 year rule generally applies only if the Canadian or US governments are funding your stay.