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Summer Work Travel Program - Travel and Program Date Restrictions

Consular officers abroad are reporting to the Compliance Unit of ECA that sponsors of Summer Work Travel (SWT) Programs have been issuing Forms DS-2019 for inappropriate time frames. Specifically, the end dates of programs often do not expire until past the end of the students' summer vacation periods (i.e., after the students' scheduled first day of classes at colleges or universities in which they are enrolled for the next term in their home countries).
The Compliance Unit reminds all SWT Sponsors of two limitations on the dates entered on the Form DS-2019:
· SWT Form DS-2019 program dates cannot exceed four months, and
· The end dates for SWT programs cannot extend into the college and/or university academic calendars for the term following the students' participation in the SWT program.
The Compliance Unit further reminds all SWT Sponsors of the practical and regulatory limitations on the Department of Homeland Security regulations that permit aliens to enter and remain in the United States for up to 30 days before and after their programs. Program sponsors must work with program participants, employers, and any third parties to ensure that all SWT participating students:
· Never depart their home countries until the beginning of their summer vacations;
· Never work during the 30-day grace periods intended to facilitate their travel plans; and
· Always depart the United States in time to attend their first day of classes in the next school term.
It is the responsibility of all sponsors to ensure that the start and end dates on Forms DS-2109 are in regulatory compliance. Failure to follow these limitations will be considered a regulatory violation because the SWT program is limited to the period of a student's summer vacation.
Please feel free to contact the Compliance Unit at jvisas@state.gov with any questions.