Summer Work/Travel USA Information
1. U.S.-Ukraine Foundation Role in Work/Travel USA
2. U.S. Department of State's Work/Travel Exchange
Visitor Program
- Students' Eligibility
- Housing
- Work and Travel Participants Visa Status and
Documents
- Arrival and SEVIS Validation
- Social Security and Payroll
- Taxes
- Insurance
1. U.S.-Ukraine Foundation Role in Work/Travel USA
The U.S.-Ukraine Foundation is actively seeking employers to hire Ukrainian university students in summer positions in communities across the United States.
Through the U.S. Department of State's Work/Travel Exchange Visitor Program, Ukrainian students can qualify to work and travel in the U.S. under a J-1 visa through a sponsoring organization. The Foundation is assisting in this process by matching the hiring needs of U.S. employers with available, qualified students who will be placed through a sponsoring organization. There is no cost to the employer in allowing the Foundation to help in this recruitment.
The program provides U.S. employers with a unique seasonal staffing solution, while allowing international university students an economically viable way to visit the U.S. by working and traveling during their school breaks. There is no charge for employers who participate in the program. Students pay their own placement fees and transportation costs. Students, who are placed through an officially-designated sponsoring organization, are available for the summer season and are able to work up to 4 months between mid-May to mid-October.
To become a Summer Work/Travel USA Employer:
- Contact Bogdan Kovalchuk at bkovalchuk@usukraine.org
- Complete Employer and Job Profile for Group Placement , which
is a short survey to determine your special staffing needs, and match
them with the prospective employees.
Click here to download Employer and Job Profile for Group Placement in MS Word (*.doc)
Click here to download Employer and Job Profile for Group Placement in Adobe PDF (*.pdf)
USUF will then work with a Ukrainian recruiting organization to identify
student candidates for your staffing needs. Once the employer is satisfied
with the potential student-employees, the employer will confirm selection
by completing an Employment Offer Agreement Form for the future
employees.
Meanwhile, the students will also be receiving Exchange Visitor Program confirmation by a sponsoring organization, designated by the U.S. Department of State. Students will receive all the necessary information in order to travel, work and live in the United States. They will then travel to the U.S. and be ready to start working for you!
2. U.S. Department of State's Work/Travel Exchange Visitor Program
The purpose of the U.S. Department of State's Work/Travel Exchange Visitor
Program is to provide foreign post-secondary students an opportunity to
become directly involved in the daily life of the people of the United
States through travel and temporary work for a period up to four months
during their summer vacation.
The program provides U.S. employers with a unique seasonal staffing solution,
while allowing international university students an economically viable
way to visit the U.S. by working and traveling during their school breaks.
There is no charge for employers who participate in the program. Students
pay their own placement fees and transportation costs. Students, who
are placed through an officially-designated sponsoring organization, are
available for the summer season and are able to work up to 4 months between
mid-May to mid-October.
All participating students of Work/Travel Exchange Visitor Program are
coming to the United States under Exchange visitor J-1 visa. They can
apply for a Social Security number and legally work according to the program
rules.
The regulations governing Work/Travel Exchange Visitor Program are found
at 22 CFR §62.32.
http://exchanges.state.gov/education/jexchanges/about/22CFR62.pdf
Prior becoming Work/Travel Exchange Visitor Program participants, all
students are properly screened and selected for their eligibility for
program requirements. According to the program rules all participants
are:
- Currently enrolled full time in a college or university.
- 18 years of age or older.
- Able to speak and understand English at a level suitable for the position
they fill.
- Available for up to 4 months.
Participating students are eager to work, excited to learn about the
U.S., and to make new friends. They usually fill following positions:
- Housekeeping
- Kitchen Help
- Ride Operators
- Retail Staff
- Dishwashing
- Counter Staff
- Food Servers
- Maintenance
- Wait Staf
Summer Work/Travel Exchange Visitor Program participants MAY NOT work
as a camp counselor, nanny, au pair, housekeeper or helper in a private
home, in the hospital or medical field, or work with airplanes, in employment
that requires participant to invest his own money for the purpose of door-to-door
sales.
By program rules students are responsible for housing by themselves. Employers are encouraged employers to assist students with arranging their accommodation. Please pay attention to questions about the housing wile completing Employer and Job Profile for Group Placement. This will help to make arrangement of housing for your future summer employees most effective.
Work/Travel Participants Visa Status and Documents
The students are required to possess and fill out various forms. Sponsoring organization designated by Department of State issues DS-2019 form. ("Certificate of Eligibility for Exchange Visitor (J-1) Status") and assists with all necessary paperwork. Here you can find more details about the most important documents and visa application procedures.
- DS-2019 form "Certificate of Eligibility for Exchange Visitor Status" is issued by sponsoring organization, designated by Department of State. Please find the latest update of designated sponsors by clicking here. DS-2019 form indicates the program sponsor, the purpose of the program and specifies the duration of the program. The program dates indicated on the DS-2019 form are the authorized duration in which the participant can legally work in the United States. The DS-2019 form is not a visa; this form must be presented to the nearest U.S. Embassy in the participant's home country to apply for the J-1 visa. The participant cannot receive the DS-2019 form or apply for the J-1 visa while in the U.S. All students must be in their own home country in order to apply for the J-1 visa. The DS-2019 along with the participant's passport must be carried at all times during the program. Please note that according to the Program Rules participants can stay 30 days longer then stated in their DS-2019 form for traveling purposes ("Grace Period"), but they CAN NOT legally work during this period.
- J-1 visa -- is the legal entry document into the U.S. for the participants of this program. It is usually stamped in the student's passport and indicates under which status the he or she is allowed to enter the U.S.
- I-94 Form is an arrival and departure record card that is distributed to each student on the airplane before landing in the U.S. The Immigration officials at the airport will stamp the form in which one part will be attached to the student's passport and the Immigration Department will retain the other portion. The stamp on the I-94 card indicates the entry date into the U.S. and the visa (J-1) status. Also, the stamp specifically indicates the last day the participant is authorized to stay in the U.S. legally - a "D/S" stamp means "Duration of Status". D/S is equivalent to the dates indicated on the participant's DS-2019 form plus a 30-day travel period ("Grace Period") after the work program ends. However, if an earlier date of departure is specified on the I-94 form, the participant is required to leave the U.S. by the date indicated on the I-94 stamp.
The U.S. Department of State has implemented a system called SEVIS,
which keeps a record of international students who are participating on
exchange programs. Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS)
is an Internet-based system that provides tracking and monitoring, with
access to accurate and current information, on nonimmigrant students (F
and M visa), exchange visitors (J visa) and their dependents (F-2, M-2,
or J-2).
Every student, participating in Work/ Travel Exchange Visitor Program
must validate his/her visa to be able to work legally in USA. The participant
is responsible for the validation of his/her visa after arrival to the
USA via SEVIS or sponsoring organization's website.
Failure to adhere to this policy will result in cancellation of the participant's
J-1 visa.
All Work/Travel Exchange Visitor Program student participants MUST secure
a Social Security number (SSN) in order to work legally in the United
States. Students may apply for a Social Security card at the Social Security
office nearest to their place of employment, upon arrival in the United
States. They may locate the nearest Social Security office by looking
on the Social Security Administration's web site at www.ssa.gov.
It is will be very helpful if employer helps student or group of students
to get to the Social Security Administration office. In order to apply
student needs: 1. DS-2019 form, 2. Passport with the J-1 and I-94 card
(attached to his/her passport), 3. Sponsor "To whom it may concern"
letter. While filling application he/she may use the following tips: use
the host company's (employer's) address as student's mailing address;
for #3 question (Citizenship) check the box "Legal Alien Allowed
To Work"; leave #8 and #9 blank. Participant should request a temporary
certificate that has no number but proves that he has applied for the
card (form SSA-5028).
Please note that it is legal for the participants to work without
a Social Security number. The verification of application to the SSA and
the DS-2019 forms are sufficient documentation to hire and pay to your
employees.
Please take into consideration information from Social Security Administration
official web site www.socialsecurity.gov.
You can found this information under Employer Reporting Instructions &
Information http://www.socialsecurity.gov/employer/hiring.htm
You may also consider that as stated by the Internal Revenue Service
(IRS), "there is no federal law administered by any federal agency
which prohibits the hiring of a person based solely on the fact that the
person does not have an SSN. Similarly to above, there is no federal law
which prohibits the making of the payment to a person based solely on
the fact that the person does not have an SSN."
For more information visit www.irs.gov/business/small/international/article/0,,id=129227,00.html
Note: if a participant has already been assigned the SSN during a prior
stay in the United States, the number is valid and does not need to apply
for a new SSN.
All participants in the Work/Travel Exchange Visitor Program are required
to pay taxes. However, because they are exchange visitors and holders
of a J-1 visa, they do not need to pay all taxes.
Non-exempt taxes:
- Federal Income Tax
- State Income Tax
- City Income Tax
Exempt taxes:
- Social Security and Medicare Tax (FICA)
- Federal Unemployment Tax (FUTA)
These taxes SHOULD NOT BE DEDUCTED from the students' paychecks.
All participants are insured prior to their arrival to the U.S. Sponsors require that all exchange visitors be covered with medical benefits with a minimum of $50,000 per accident or illness.
Find out more about Work and Travel USA by clicking here. (*.pdf)