Host and Hire Seasonal Staff

• Department of State Regulation: Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (e-CFR)
• Welcome Letter and Brochure: The Department of State provides Brochure for Summer Work Travel participants.
• Guidance Directives:
  • Summer Work Travel Program: Purpose and Placements
  • Summer Work Travel: Program Exclusions 
  • Summer Work Travel Program: A Cultural Experience

Seasonal: Employment is of a seasonal nature when the required service is tied to a certain time of year by an event or pattern and requires labor levels above and beyond existing worker levels. Summer Work Travel host organizations should generally not hire for all three (summer, winter and spring) seasons, as the intention is that placements are only with businesses that have a seasonal need, so as not to displace U.S. workers.

Summer Work Travel host organizations are not to rely on program participants to fill year-round positions, as these positions should be filled by the U.S. workforce.

Temporary: Employment is of a temporary nature when a host organization’s need for the duties to be performed is a one-time occurrence, a peak-load need, or an intermittent need.

Temporary positions requested by host organizations are considered on a case-by-case basis. The host organization must be able to demonstrate why a temporary position cannot be filled by the U.S. workforce.

Host organizations are required to notify Greenheart Exchange when their participants arrive, do not arrive, or leave before their DS-2019 end date; when there are changes in the job conditions and about any emergency situations.

A host organization can report to the Greenheart Exchange by logging in to your Greenheart Exchange Online (GEO) account.

The Department of State sometimes contacts host organizations to confirm names of participants hosted and job details. Greenheart Exchange asks that the host organization follow these steps if you receive a call from the Department of State:

• 1. Identify the caller. Only release information to the Department of State. Participant information is private, so this information may not be released without participant’s consent.
  2. Ask the caller to send you an email describing the information they are requesting. This email should come from a state.gov email address.
  3. Reply to the Department of State email. Usually they are verifying the number of participants hired and their names and job information. In the past, host organizations who did not respond to Department of State calls experienced participant visa denials.
  4. Let your Greenheart Exchange contact know if you have any questions regarding a job placement confirmation. If you don’t know who your Greenheart Exchange contact is, call our toll-free U.S. number: 1-866-684-9675.

*NOTE:  All placements are subject to Greenheart Exchange approval. Some jobs that are not listed here may still be found to be inappropriate for the Summer Work Travel program. As the visa sponser, Greenheart Exchange reserves the right to prohibit any placement.

In addition to jobs prohibited by the Department of State, Greenheart Exchange prohibits participants from working:

• In positions in kiosks.
• In positions with moving companies.
• In positions with staffing agencies.
• With third-party organizations. The participant must be hired, paid, and directly supervised by the same company.
• With lifeguard companies that have not first completed a Greenheart Exchange questionnaire.
• In positions that involve door-to-door or traveling sales.
• In positions where manual labor is the primary focus, that require a high-level of skill, that present safety concerns, or that lack cultural exchange.
• In positions with tent companies.
• In laundry-only positions, or other positions with extensive periods of time in rotation.
• In positions that require sustained physical contact with other people (e.g. applying henna tattoos).

Prohibited Placements by Location:

Greenheart Exchange no longer allows self-placed placements in:

• The state of North Dakota
• The Florida panhandle (e.g.Destin, Panama City Beach)
• Harrisburg-Hershey, Pennsylvania

Greenheart Exchange does not allow positions for any program option in the areas of:

• Williston, Dickinson, and Watford City New Town, North Dakota
• Hawaii
• Baltimore, Maryland

Although exceptions have been made in the past, self-placed and full program option placements in Detroit, Michigan are generally prohibited.

Conditional Placements by Location:

Placements for full program options will be considered on a case-by-case basis in the Gulf Coast areas of Louisiana and Alabama, and in the Florida panhandle from Gulf Shores, Alabama to Mexico Beach, Florida, including Panama City and Destin. To be considered by Greenheart Exchange, host organizations in these areas must provide excellent housing and extensive cultural activities for the SWT participants.

The Department of State prohibits Summer Work Travel participants from working:

1. In positions with host organizations that fill non-seasonal or non-temporary job openings with participants with staggered vacation schedules.
2. In positions that could bring notoriety or disrepute to the Exchange Visitor Program.
3. In sales positions that require participants to purchase inventory that they must sell in order to support themselves.
4. In domestic help positions in private homes (e.g., child care, elder care, gardener, chauffeur).
5. As pedicab or rolling chair drivers or operators.
6. As operators or drivers of vehicles or vessels for which a driver’s license is required regardless of whether they carry passengers or not.
7. In positions related to clinical care that involves patient contact.
8. In any position in the adult entertainment industry including, but not limited to jobs with escort services, jobs in adult book/video stores, and jobs in strip clubs).
9. In positions requiring any shift where hours will fall predominantly between 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m.
10. In positions declared hazardous to youth by the Secretary of Labor as outlined at Subpart E of 29 CFR part 570.
11. In positions that require sustained physical contact with other people and/or adherence to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Universal Blood and Body Fluid Precautions guidelines (e.g., body piercing, tattooing, massage, manicure).
12. In positions that are substantially commission-based and thus do not guarantee that participants will be paid minimum wage in accordance with federal and state standards.
13. In positions involved in gaming and gambling that include direct participation in wagering and/or betting.
14. In positions in chemical pest control, in warehousing, and at catalog/online order distribution centers.
15. In positions with traveling fairs or itinerant concessionaires.
16. In jobs that do not allow participants to work alongside U.S. citizens to interact regularly with U.S. citizens and to experience U.S. culture during the workday portion of their Summer Work Travel programs.
17. In positions that require licensing.
18. In positions for which there is another specific J category (e.g., camp counselor, intern, trainee).
19. After November 1, 2012, in positions in the North American Industry Classification System’s (NAICS) Goods-Producing Industries occupational categories industry sectors 11, 21, 23, 31–33 numbers (set forth at http://www.bls.gov/iag/tgs/iag_index_naics.htm).

• Participants must contact Greenheart Exchange immediately upon their arrival to the U.S.
• The arrival check-in must be done no later than 3 days after the arrival date.
• Participants are required to validate their programs upon arrival to their Greenheart Exchange approved host organization, and no later than 7 days after the program start date.
• Participants must also check-in with Greenheart Exchange every 30 days or by the deadlines listed in their Greenheart Online accounts.
• Failure to complete any of these communications may result in a negative SEVIS status, requiring the participant to return home immediately.

Policy

The Department of State places an emphasis on the safety, security, and quality of housing for Summer Work Travel participants. The following policies are provided to ensure participants are provided with appropriate housing.

1. Housing must follow, at minimum, all local, state, and federal housing, building, and fire safety codes.
2. Every participant must have their own bed. A bed is defined as a mattress on a bed frame or box spring. Air mattresses or mattresses directly on the floor are not acceptable.
3. Participants must have a designated bedroom. Sleeping in a common space such as the living room is not acceptable.
4. Employment must not be contingent on the participant living in host organization-provided housing.
5. There must be affordable and safe transportation to and from work.
6. Participants must submit their housing information to Greenheart Exchange no later than 30 days before their DS-2019 start date.

Guidelines

The following guidelines are provided to help avoid some common issues.

1. Provide a lease or rental agreement that clearly defines rules and regulations.
2. Inform participants about how security deposits are managed.
3. Conduct an initial housing inspection with the participant, documenting issues with participants when they arrive.
4. Basic amenities, such as a grocery store and bank should be easily accessible from participant housing.
5. Housing providers should offer short-term leases for 3 to 4 months.
6. Monthly rent should be no more than 33% of a participant’s monthly gross income.

The above is subject to change based on regulatory updates from the Department of State and internal Greenheart Exchange policies.

If you have any questions concerning the information provided, please contact your host organization contact toll-free at 1-866-684-9675.