Work with enthusiastic international university students to help fill your seasonal hiring needs. Designated by the U.S. Department of State, Greenheart Exchange’s Work and Travel program allows for participants from over 30 countries to work and travel throughout the U.S. for up to four months. We connect host organizations (U.S. seasonal businesses) with participants (international university students) to diversify your workplace and fulfill a commitment to cultural understanding and public diplomacy.
Greenheart Exchange is organizing virtual and in-person hiring events for the upcoming season.
HIRING METHOD | PARAMETERS & BENEFITS |
---|---|
International Job Fairs |
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Greenheart World's Fair |
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Virtual Hiring Events |
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Job Board / Hiring Center Online (available for Summer Programs only) |
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Greenheart offers two types of Job Fairs:
International Job Fairs offer employers an exciting opportunity to interview pre-screened J-1 Summer Work and Travel applicants face-to-face! For this hiring method, employers travel outside the U.S. to complete their seasonal hiring in just four days!
Dominican Republic | Santo Domingo | December 1 - 4, 2023 |
Thailand | Bangkok | January 10 – 14, 2024, and January 12 – 16, 2024 |
Kazakhstan | Astana | January 24 – 28, 2024 |
Contact your Greenheart representative for more details or email us at workandtravel@greenheart.org
*Please note dates are subject to change
Greenheart offers two types of Job Fairs:
Greenheart World’s Fair: Organizations travel to Greenheart Exchange’s headquarters in Chicago and conduct virtual interviews of pre-screened J-1 participants from around the world. It’s an efficient way to hire staff in a short time! Read more about Greenheart’s World Fair.
Contact your Greenheart representative for more details or email us at workandtravel@greenheart.org
There are two easy ways to hire virtually with Greenheart.
Virtual Hiring Events:
Attend from your home or office, where you can complete your seasonal hiring through virtual interviews managed by Greenheart. Greenheart recruits the candidates, so all you need to do is join the event online to begin your interviews! Events occurring weekly November through March.
Job Board / Hiring Center Online:
You post your jobs, interact directly with candidates who meet your dates/qualifications to arrange virtual interviews. This is helpful to fill in needs, or for smaller organizations just getting started with the Work and Travel program.
Contact your Greenheart representative for more information or email workandtravel@greenheart.org to sign up!
Our participants come from around the world to participate in the Work and Travel program. Find countries that work best for your business by checking out program dates by country below.
Country | Typical Start Date | Typical End Date |
---|---|---|
SUMMER | ||
Thailand | March 7 – May 7 | July 7 – September 7 |
Philippines | March-26 | September-1 |
Colombia | May-1 | August-30 |
Bulgaria | May-1 | September-30 |
Czech Republic | May-1 | October-1 |
Dominican Republic | May-4 | September-10 |
Jamaica | May-5 | September-7 |
Turkey | May-15 | October-1 |
Kazakhstan | May-8 | September-1 |
Ghana | May-13 | September-5 |
Russia | May-15 | September-15 |
Slovakia | May-15 | September-15 |
Mexico | May-19 | September-5 |
Serbia | May-21 | October-10 |
Malaysia | May-25 | September-15 |
Poland | May-25 | September-30 |
Mongolia | June-7 | September-6 |
Jordan | June-1 | October-1 |
Taiwan | June-1 | September-30 |
Nigeria | June-1 | October-1 |
Spain | May-24 | October-7 |
Romania | June-15 | September-30 |
Albania | July-15 | October-15 |
WINTER | ||
Brazil | November-15 | March-15 |
Peru | December-1 | March-31 |
Argentina | December-1 | April-1 |
Paraguay | December-1 | March-31 |
Chile | December-1 | April-1 |
Malaysia | November-25 | March-15 |
Ecuador | January-20 | October-1 |
To view the official start and end dates established by the U.S. Department of State, click here.
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:
*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:
Prohibited Placements by Location:
Greenheart Exchange no longer allows self-placed placements in:
Greenheart Exchange does not allow positions for any program option in the areas of:
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:
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.
Guidelines
The following guidelines are provided to help avoid some common issues.
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 toll-free at 1-866-684-9675.
Nothing! Our Work and Travel Program is a free service to employers.
We have international participants that can meet all of your seasonal needs. Our summer participants arrive between May and July and can often work until October 1.
Winter participants typically arrive Mid-November through January, and can work until March or April.
Our participants come from more than 30 countries. Summer participants come from countries in the Northern Hemisphere; winter participants come from countries in the Southern Hemisphere.
Yes. The level of English ability ranges from basic to fluent. You will receive an assessment of each participant’s English abilities before hiring them. This assessment will include a test score as well as interviewer’s comments on the participant.
The J-1 visa allows participants to work at more than one job. However, we explain to participants that their primary commitment is to their initial, approved employer. If they are interested in working another job, we ask that they discuss this with you. Participants can’t start an additional job until Greenheart approves it or they will put their program at risk.
All Summer Work Travel participants are employees-at-will and can leave their employment at any time. The Department of State regulations state that neither employers nor sponsors can create barriers if participants want to leave. If one of your participants is asking to leave early, please reach out to your Greenheart contact so that we can personally speak to the participant and highly encourage them to stay through the remainder of the program.
International participants must be paid the same as an American employee doing the same job, while adhering to state minimum wage laws.
Host organizations working with Greenheart Exchange are now required to arrange or provide affordable housing in close proximity to the work site. For questions about this, please reach out to your Greenheart Exchange contact.
No. All participants are required to pay federal, state and local taxes (if applicable). While participants are all university students in their home countries, the IRS does not consider them students while they are in the U.S. For tax purposes, Work and Travel participants are considered non-resident aliens and must file a tax return. Participants are often eligible for a refund at the end of the fiscal year.
Yes. W-2 forms should be mailed to participants in their home countries as early as possible. Ask your participants to give you a self-addressed envelope when they are filling out their W-4. This will help ensure you have their correct international address when it is time to send their W-2.
Yes, all Greenheart Exchange participants have health insurance during their entire program (the dates listed on their DS 2019 form). Please note that if your participants are interested in traveling after they finish working, they will need to purchase additional insurance either from us or from another insurance company.
Please call our office at 1-866-684-9675. Our office hours are 9:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. CST, Monday through Friday. There is also a 24-hour emergency assistance line for employers and program participants. The emergency number is 1-855-767-5642.
Host organizations can also always call or email their Greenheart contact.
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