Read Part I of the Estes Valley Voice’s series on the international exchange visitor program.
For international students who want to experience life in the United States, participating in one of BridgeUSA’s many work-and-study-based exchange visitor programs requires months of planning.
Students must work with recruitment agencies in their home countries as well as U.S. Department of State-designated sponsor organizations to guide them through the process and program requirements to obtain a J-1 visa for temporary residency in the U.S. and be approved to participate in the summer work travel program, the most popular of the programs in Estes Park.
More than a visa: A summer in America starts long before arrival
First, students must be enrolled full-time at a post-secondary school and apply to the exchange program offered through designated sponsors responsible for selecting participants, as well as supporting and monitoring them throughout the program.
Sponsors are not employers. Instead, sponsors are business organizations responsible for program elements such as reviewing and approving student placements and vetting employers. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is also involved in screening applicants for the program.
To be approved by a sponsor, students must be proficient in English language skills, have successfully completed at least one semester of post-secondary study, and be pre-placed in a job prior to their entry to the United States.
Students must also obtain a certificate of eligibility, Form DS-2019, from the designated sponsor authorized by the U.S. Department of State, and they are often required to pay the sponsor significant administration fees.
Participants pay student and exchange visitor information fees, pay visa application fees, and partake in an interview with the U.S embassy in their home country to be approved for their visa before official acceptance into the program. Ultimately, the visa decision is solely up to the U.S. embassy official, and participants are most often denied for not showing sufficient proof that they will return home after the program, according to the Department of State.
How sponsors and employers share responsibility
One of many nationally designated sponsor companies, LifeTRAVELED, has been integrally involved with local representatives in forming Estes Park’s Community Support Group, which includes the Town of Estes Park, the Estes Chamber of Commerce, Visit Estes Park, and several other local organizations and area businesses dedicated to supporting the well-being of exchange visitors in Estes Park.
Local employers interested in hosting exchange visitors must apply directly to a sponsor organization for approval and undergo the organization’s vetting process. They must prove they can pay exchange visitors in accordance with state and federal laws, have not experienced layoffs in the past 120 days, do not have workers on lockout or on strike, will not displace U.S. workers, and have proper business licenses and workers’ compensation policies.
Job hosts provide the work experience and are not required to house their employees, although some do help with the process.
The sponsors provide students with information about job offerings in a specific location when they apply to participate in the program. While exchange visitors come to the U.S. pre-placed in a job, many take on second jobs during their time to help support their finances and save money to bring home.
Beyond paying the SEVIS fee, students must maintain active status by checking in with their sponsor via the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System within 30 days of arrival and periodically throughout their stay. This includes getting any secondary jobs approved by the sponsor.
Housing: The biggest challenge after arrival
While job placement is mandatory prior to entry, housing remains one of the steepest hurdles for incoming program participants. In seasonal gateway destinations like Estes Park, finding affordable, short-term lodging falls largely on the exchange visitor.
The local CSG was formed to help bridge the gap and prevent housing instability from undermining the program’s success. By coordinating with local property managers and organizations such as the Estes Park Housing Authority, civic organizations, and host businesses, these grassroots alliances help students secure accessible housing for their 3- to 4-month stays.
More than seasonal workers
The BridgeUSA program is designed to be more than a seasonal labor solution. However, as administrative requirements and vetting processes grow increasingly complex, its success relies heavily on the ground-level alliances built by local host employers, sponsors, and civic leaders.
By continuing to expand community safety nets and housing assistance in destination towns like Estes Park, organizers are working to ensure that the U.S. remains a welcoming, safe, and life-changing destination for the next generation of global exchange visitors.
Once the peak season winds down, participants are offered a 30-day grace period at the beginning and end of their program to explore the rest of the country on their J-1 visas.
Lasting connections across borders
For international students, host communities, and organizations supporting the program such as CSG and Global Friends, the efforts put into the program yield impact far beyond the work season.
Julie Arant, the director and founder of Global Friends, said that by welcoming people from across nations and creating meaningful connections, “the course of nations can be changed.”
Amanda Moulden, a former participant in the program and director at the YMCA of the Rockies, echoed the importance of building relationships.
Moulden said, “I see people from the United States that were maybe afraid of traveling the world; now they have so many friends and the world has become this place where they want to go out and explore. We have seen participants that later on became ambassadors from their country in a different country.”