Q. What is a J - 1 Visa?
A. The J-1 visa category is for educational, cultural and academic programs. This program was created by the Department of State's Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange Act of 1961 also known as the Fulbright-Hays Act. There are several J-1 visa designations that can apply to participants in IWEG programs. One of these is for short term "Summer Work & Travel" students who are allowed to work on their breaks from their university studies, which generally means our summer months for Northern Hemisphere students and our winter monts for Southern Hemisphere residents. Other J-1 visa categories are Interns and Trainees for participants that are coming for longer periods of time to work.
Q. How long does the process take?
A. The process may vary depending on the country from which the international students are recruited, the time of a year, the completeness of all documents submitted to get visa, and other such issues. Overall however, the J visas are considerably less complicated, take a lot less time to process than other types of work or immigrant visas, and have lower visa denial rates. In most countries, we like to have all job placements done 3 months prior to beginning employment
Q. How can my company benefit from the program?
A. There is absolutely no fee that IWEG charges organizations that are willing to participate and offer employment to international students. By hiring international workforce, your company can benefit from low recruiting costs and efficiencies, diversify its workforce, appeal to potentially new customers with new language skills, and address recruiting needs in areas that were affected by skill s gaps, seasonal demand fluctuation, or absence of local population.
Q. Will IWEG charges me any fees for its services?
A. International Work Experience group (IWEG) does not charge any fee to prospective employers willing to participate in the program.
Q. What is the DS2019 Form?
A. The DS2019 is a document that is required by the U.S. consulate or embassy to proceed with the J1 Visa application. It is generated be SEVIS (Student and Exchange Visitor Information System) by entering the applicant's name, birthrate, address, and other pertinent info, upon completion of which process, a PDF file is generated, serving as proof that the applicant and the company offering employment both met all the requirements to participate in the J1 Visa program. The DS2019 is also known as the Certificate of Eligibility form. IWEG supplies this form to its participants through partner companies so employers do not have to get involved.
Q. What is the DS7002 Form?
A. DS 7002 is also known as the Training/internship Placement Plan, which serves as an outline of the training or internship program. It does not apply to students seeking seasonal employment through the Summer Work & Travel program. This form must be signed by the prospective employee (international student), an authorized representative of the company extending the offer of employment, as well as the program sponsor. The plan serves as a guideline, specifying what tasks the employee will perform, what skills are expected to be learning, through its specific objectives, skills to be imparted, justification of on-the-job training, the chronology of training and method of evaluation and frequency of supervision sections that are to be completed accurately and honestly. The US Consulate or Embassy will require this form along with the DS2019. IWEG supplies this form to the employer based on job descriptions and your feedback; it can be changed prior to signing to meet the employer's approval. Its overall purpose is to ensure that the terms have been agreed upon by the employer and employee and, from the US government's standpoint, a clear plan has been created.
Q. What is the I94 card?
A. This is a card issued to nonimmigrants or permanent residents upon entry into the United States, which serves as proof that the person entered the US legally, with a stamp on it indicating the duration of legal stay in the US for that individual. This is a one-time use card, not valid for re-entry. New I-94 must be issued each time person enters the US. The expiration date on I-94 may not extend beyond the date of expiry on the person's visa.
Q. Are international student employees fully authorized to work in the US?
A. Yes, all international students recruited by IWEG for employment in the US will be legally authorized to work in the US. All of them will need to apply for social security card and presented to their employers in the US.
Q. Are the international student employees subject to tax withholdings?
A. Yes, international employees are responsible for paying Federal, State and City taxes, however they are not required to pay Medicare and Social Security taxes.
Q. Can international student employee be fired for non-performance, lateness, tardiness, or any other unbecoming conduct?
A. Absolutely. If the employee is not fulfilling his/her obligations, violates the agreement in any way, disregards the rules and company policies, violates dress code, demonstrates a lack of respect for other employees, customers or superiors, or commits any other violation that, he or she can be reprimanded or dismissed. Every effort is made by IWEG and its partner companies to ensure a proper orientation is done on working in the United States and your companies policies.
Q. Are the international student employee insured or will my company have to arrange insurance for them?
A. The international student employees will have their own insurance in place, thus you as an employer will not be obligated to provide one.
Q. Are international student employees committed to work for my company once they arrive or will I encounter the risk of them quitting and working for another company?
A. Just as employers have the same rights to dismiss an ineffective worker, Summer Work & Travel students are allowed to change employers. They MUST have employment to maintain their legal status but they are allowed flexibility in where this is. Employers must think in terms of having the right conditions for employees to promote employee retention as they do with their American staff. Employees in the Intern or Trainee designation effectively are tied to their employer since J-1 sponsoring organizations - those that prepare the DS 2019 and DS 7002 - do not allow a change in normal conditions.
Q. Are the participants allowed to hold more than one job?
A. Yes. There is no prohibition to finding a second job.
Q. Can a student extend his/her employment beyond what's allowed by the DS2019?
A. No, this is not allowed under J-1 rules. Work & Travel participants have a maximum of 4 months and Interns and Trainees have 12 months.
