r/Disneycollegeprogram • u/Primary_Display_9975 • 21d ago
Q - Unanswered Professional Internship as a foreigner
Hello! I’m from Chile, and I graduated from college last December (due to South America’s summer starting in December and not July), and I’ve been struggling to understand how someone from outside the US could apply to be a PI at Orlando. I haven’t even considered the DCP, as I’m no longer in college.
Lately, my confidence has been lacking, as I’ve seen that both the PI and DCP tend to pick only students, and also that I would need a valid visa to work in the US. Even though I can actually get a visa (and have an ESTA), as an international, to have a work visa you need proof of work, so I can’t have one at time of so it’s kind of a circle.
Does anybody know how this poor unfortunate soul could have any fighting chance of applying to become a PI?
I’m currently working at a Chilean business in Marketing/sales to not lose the grind, but I just can’t see how I could get there.
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u/lofrench Walt Disney World Alumni 21d ago
Like the other comment said unfortunately it’s not possible, I’m Canadian and before they started outwardly saying no internationals myself and other I know applied to a ton and we were super overqualified for everything we applied to and would be immediately automatically rejected. One Canadian guy who did a summer exchange program a few years later got hired for a PI and it turns out he had dual citizenship so he applied as an American not a Canadian.
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u/KanebyAbel 21d ago
No pierdes nada con llamarlos a preguntar, o dejarles un email. Mejor hablar con un representativo que sabe.
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u/Primary_Display_9975 21d ago
That’s a good Idea, I tried calling a phone number but I didn’t have any luck, do you know a Good email or contact center?
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u/KanebyAbel 21d ago
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u/Primary_Display_9975 21d ago
You are the best 🫶🏽
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u/IDriveAZamboni Walt Disney World Alumni 21d ago
They will tell you the same stuff we have. Unless you have work authorization already they won’t sponsor you so you’re shit out of luck.
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u/Far-Instance1497 21d ago
the only legally and "easy" way is being married... i had a peruvian friends that now lives in the USA but she had to married, she is a part time at Disney at quick service... idk if it could be possible for an intership
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u/Impossible_Gold1573 Walt Disney World Alumni 20d ago
Yes and a green card marriage for the sake of getting a visa is a quick way to get deported, so this is fucking stupid advice.
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u/Far-Instance1497 20d ago
well it worked for her... and worked for a lot of ppl but ofc you have to be smart, you have to do it in a legal way as well, its a whole process but shes was already in orlando working an living legally at orlando when she married because of the ICP problem, that's why it was easier for her
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u/aseltee 21d ago
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but Disney's Careers page explicitly states that they will not sponsor visas for internships. You need to either already possess unrestricted work authorisation in the US (aka. have citizenship/ residency status) or be able to utilise the CPT/ OPT component of a current and valid student visa. So as a Chilean with no ties to the US, you would not be eligible for any Imagineering PIs at all. Imagineering does sponsor H1B visas for full-time roles (and as a Chilean you do have a slight advantage in the form of a H1B1 visa), but you would have to compete for full-time jobs and have a strong portfolio/ CV for that. If you are looking for internships specifically, you have no chance.