Leveraging the J-1 Program to

Provide Fee-for-Service

Programming

IntroducingPrivate Sector Programs

-ECA’s largest public-private

partnership

-More than 1,400 Designated Sponsors

following Department of State regulations

-Around 300,000 exchange visitors in 13

categories of exchange from more than 200

countries and territories

Europe -52%

EAP = 27%

WHA=14%

SCA=3%NEA=2%

AF=1%

Global regions served by the

Exchange Visitor Program

Every state most likely has an exchange

visitor…

Purpose of the

Exchange Visitor Program

• Increase mutual understanding by means of educational and cultural

exchanges;

• Further foreign policy objectives of the United States;

• Opportunities to participate in educational and cultural programs and

return home to share their experiences; and

• Encourage Americans to participate in educational and cultural

programs abroad.

The Secretary of State of the Department of State facilitates activities by

designating public and private entities to act as sponsors of the Exchange

Visitor Program. Sponsors may act independently or with the assistance of

third parties.

J-Visas: Multiple uses at ECA –

• All Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs

programs use J-Visas, including ECA-funded

academic exchanges and the IVLP

• Both ECA programs and Private Sector

programs are governed by the same regulations

– 22 CFR 62 – and operate under the authority

of the Fulbright-Hays Act, as amended.

A main difference …Private Sector programs are funded by –

- Private scholarships given directly to

participants and

- Wages or stipends earned by

participants as a component of their

program, allowing more diversity of

participation.

One example of how the Exchange Visitor Program works

1. Prospective intern X looks on the J-visa website to identify sponsors working in this category.

2. Intern contacts three sponsors and asks what fees the sponsor charges for participation in the program.

3. Intern applies to the program through one sponsor he/she has chosen and is accepted, and placed in an internship at the Los Angeles Office of Community Beautification for 12 months.

4. The intern earns an entry-level hourly salary while on the internship, which allows him/her to pay for housing, food, and local transportation while on the internship.

5. The intern follows a pre-arranged training plan, that includes answering the city’s hotline for graffiti reporting, providing assistance in writing grant proposals, and helping staff with field site visits to communities.

6. The sponsor and/or host organization organizes a cultural activity for the intern or groups of interns on a regular basis.

7. Intern, upon finishing the program, stays in touch through ECA alumni office.

College and university student

Full-time student;

Non-degree student;

Student intern

- Research scholar

- Professor

- Short term scholar

- Specialist

- Government visitor

Academic and Government Categories

Private Sector Categories

- Intern

- Trainee

- Teacher

- Au pair

- Camp counselor

- Summer Work Travel

- Secondary school student

- Graduate medical doctor (alien physician)

A cultural endeavor…

• 92% of exchange visitors on the Summer Work Travel program last year reported that they participated in cultural activities planned outside of work.

• Sponsors often took an active role in arranging cultural activities in areas in which they had large numbers of pre-placed exchange visitors.

• Activities included sporting events, museum and city hall tours, and excursions to national landmarks.

How can a private sector organization become

involved in Private Sector Exchange Programs?

• Host an intern or trainee for a year

• Provide a summer job for a participant on the Summer Work Travel Program

• Become a private sector exchange program sponsor

Then, if hosting -

• Tell us about activities you

planned for your participant(s)

• Tell us about ties you maintain

with former participants once

they go home

Examples of how

the Exchange Visitor Program and

Global Ties might work together

• Invite exchange visitors in your local area to holiday celebrations or receptions;

• Contact sponsors to see whether you could offer a program/series of cultural events for exchange visitors on a fee for service basis;

• Work with a local host organization in your area to see if you could offer cultural activities for both exchange visitors and their American colleagues on a fee for service basis;

• Work with au pairs, who will have a volunteer segment of their program, to see if they have interest in volunteering for Global Ties so they can learn more about public diplomacy;

• Contact the Exchange Visitor Program Office if there is an event of significance in your city where you need exchange

visitors to volunteer.

Getting connected

Ask the Office of Private Sector Exchange for a list of exchange visitors in your local area.

We cannot provide contacts unless you request them from us. (JExchanges@state.gov)

Use list to contact exchange visitors via e-mail and advertise your event; please send the Office of Private Sector Exchange a copy of the invitation.

Indicate clearly in your advertisement the cost of the event for exchange visitors.

Join us to create pilot programs

• The Office of Private Sector Exchange is currently engaging CBMs for a pilot project to provide examples to create some best practices for engaging exchange visitors in cultural activities.

Working with Global Ties on a

Suggested Fee Schedule• City walking tour – Cost of guide plus any transportation or entry

fees to sites

• Sporting event group – Cost of event plus fee for organizing plus any group transportation

• Integration of exchange visitors into current social events, such as holiday parties or other activities – Fee same as for other exchange visitors

• Speaker dinner – Organize a pre-speaker dinner for a distinguished speaker (invite speaker to meet with the group), cost of dinner plus fee for organizing.

• English language practice - Organize coffee hours and other activities, to allow exchange participants and Americans to serve as conversation partners with one another. Per person fee.

• Travel to a site that the exchange visitor otherwise might not access, such as SWT participants to see electricity-producing windmills on shore.

What might not work so well…

• Home hospitality, as exchange visitors are already

living in a particular city. However, this might

work for Thanksgiving, for example.

• Home stays, as many exchange visitors already

have a homestay(such as au pairs) or are already

in their own apartment in the city.

• Group meals with Americans – Exchange Visitors

often have this opportunity in other settings.

Engaging Exchange Visitors:

The CBM Perspective