Work & Travel USA Employer FAQ's
Q. How much does it cost to enroll and hire international staff?
Q. When are seasonal international staff available?
Q. What countries do InterExchange Work & Travel USA participants come from?
Q. Can Work & Travel USA participants speak English?
Q. How many hours per week can participants work? What if a participant requests overtime?
Q. Can a participant get more than one job?
Q. What should I pay international staff?
Q. Do I have to provide housing?
Q. How will the staff I hire get to my business?
Q. Do participants have social security cards?
Q. Are international staff exempt from Social Security, Medicare tax, and unemployment withholdings?
Q. Are my international staff exempt from paying taxes?
Q. Do I have to provide participants with a W-2 form?
Q. How should international staff fill out the W-4?
Q. Do my international staff have health insurance?
Q. What if a participant becomes ill during his/her stay in the U.S.? How is a claim filed?
Q. What if a participant is injured on the job?
Q. My international staff are exceptional. Can I employ them for a 5th month?
Q. What if the participant wants to stay and work past the date on the DS-2019 form?
Q. My participant’s visa expires before the last date on his DS-2019. Is s/he still eligible to work?
Q. What if a participant wants to return next year?
Q. What if I need more participants mid-season?
Q. What if I’m not satisfied with my InterExchange employees?
Q. What rules and laws apply to InterExchange participants?
Q. What if I need help or have any questions during the season?
Q. How much does it cost to enroll and hire international staff?
A. Nothing. InterExchange Work & Travel USA is a free service to employers.
Q. When are seasonal international staff available?
A. Summer staff arrive between May and July and can work until September or October. Winter staff arrive in December and can work until March or April. Participants are legally authorized to work for a maximum of 4 months.
Q. What countries do InterExchange Work & Travel USA participants come from?
A. Our participants come from more than 50 countries. Summer staff comes from Northern Hemisphere countries and the winter staff comes from Southern Hemisphere countries.
Q. Can Work & Travel USA participants speak English?
A. Yes. The level of English ability ranges from basic to fluent. You will receive an assessment of each participant’s English abilities on his/her application before you hire them.
Q. How many hours per week can participants work? What if a participant requests overtime?
A. Participants are told that they should expect to work between 35 and 40 hours per week. The amount of hours worked after that is up to you. Overtime compensation laws differ in each state and these laws apply to our participants. We ask that you give InterExchange a clear indication of the schedule that participants can expect so that we can present accurate information to them before they arrive.
Q. Can a participant get more than one job?
A. The J-1 visa allows participants to work at more than one job. However, InterExchange emphasizes that a participant’s primary commitment is to their initial InterExchange employer.
Q. What should I pay international staff?
A. You must pay international staff what you would pay an American employee doing the same job, while adhering to State Minimum Wage laws.
Q. Do I have to provide housing?
A. Employers do not have to provide housing, but we ask that you at least help employees arrange affordable housing in close proximity to the job site.
Q. How will the staff I hire get to my business?
A. All Work & Travel USA participants are responsible for their own transportation costs.
If you have hired staff through the Full Service Program, InterExchange will ask you for the best route for participants to get to your location after orientation in New York City. You can recommend travel by bus, plane, train, etc., and InterExchange will give each participant custom directions, which include travel instructions and times. Full Service Program participants spend 2 nights in New York City upon their arrival in the U.S. and are instructed to call you from New York City to confirm their travel plans.
If you hire staff through our Self-Arranged Program, you must communicate directly with your participants about their transportation to the job site.
Q. Do participants have Social Security cards?
A. Yes. Participants will apply for a Social Security card when they arrive in the U.S. They will receive a receipt that shows that they have applied for a Social Security card. The card should arrive within 6 weeks.
Q. Are international staff exempt from Social Security, Medicare tax, and unemployment withholdings?
A. Participants on a J-1 Visa are considered non-resident aliens. They should not have Social Security (FICA), Medicare, or federal unemployment (FUTA) taxes withheld. Please consult a tax professional to find out if participants are exempt from state unemployment taxes in your state. For more detailed tax information, please review the IRS’s Employer Tax Guide and Publication 515 at www.irs.gov.
Q. Are my international staff exempt from paying taxes?
A. No. All participants are required to pay federal, state, and local taxes. 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 & Travel USA 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.
Q. Do I have to provide participants with a W-2 form?
A. Yes. W-2 forms should be mailed to participants in their home countries as early as possible. Ask your staff 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.
Q. How should international staff fill out the W-4?
A. According to the IRS, participants should use their U.S. address, claim single with 1 allowance (line 5) and request an additional $7.60 per week be taken out of their paycheck (line 6). This additional amount protects participants from owing money on April 15th, since they do not have to pay a standard deduction.
Q. Do my international staff have health insurance?
A. Yes. All participants are required to have health insurance for the duration of their stay in the U.S. Work & Travel USA makes sure participants have insurance that covers them in the U.S., and makes insurance available to those who need it for a small monthly fee. Participants pay for their own insurance.
Q. What if a participant becomes ill during his/her stay in the U.S.? How is a claim filed?
A. Participants have either arranged insurance through InterExchange or have their own. We have insurance contact information on file for each participant, including the policy number, contact telephone number, description of coverage, and claim instructions. If an employee needs assistance regarding their healthcare or becomes ill and cannot work, please contact our office.
Q. What if a participant is injured on the job?
A. Participants are protected by the same labor laws as U.S. citizens. All job-related injuries are covered by Worker’s Compensation. Please refer to your Worker’s Compensation insurance policy.
Q. My international staff are exceptional. Can I employ them for a 5th month?
A. No. InterExchange Work & Travel USA participants are allowed to work a maximum of 4 months. The program is not extendable under any circumstances. There is a 30-day period at the end of the program during which the participants can stay in the U.S., but this period can only be used for travel. It is illegal for participants to work during the travel period.
Q. What if the participant wants to stay and work past the date on the DS-2019 form?
A. It is illegal for a participant to work past the date on their DS-2019 form. Under no circumstances can the J-1 visa or the work eligibility period be extended.
Q. My participant’s visa expires before the last date on his DS-2019. Is s/he still eligible to work?
A. The dates printed on the J-1 visa describe the period of time during which the participant is allowed to enter the U.S. The dates on the participant’s DS-2019 are the dates s/he is eligible to work. The dates on the visa do not describe the work period.
Q. What if a participant wants to return next year?
A. We welcome returning participants! Once they return home, participants should contact our partner organization in their home country to apply for our Self-Arranged Program. There is a simple application to complete. Additionally, they will need an employment agreement or employment offer letter from you to include with their application. Download the InterExchange Work & Travel USA Employment Agreement Form.
Q. What if I need more participants mid-season?
A. Please contact InterExchange if you are in need of additional staff. Sometimes participants contact us when they are looking for second jobs in their area. Additionally, some participants finish their work commitment and decide they would like to work further. If you are interested in hiring some of these participants, please let us know.
Q. What if I’m not satisfied with my InterExchange employees?
A. If you feel that a participant is not meeting your expectations, we ask that you first talk to the participant and make your expectations known. We have found that a frank discussion about work performance often solves problems. InterExchange is also available to talk to the participant. In some cases, the participant may not be aware of the problem or how to do a better job. If the situation does not improve and you need to terminate the employee, please call InterExchange so that we can assist the participant.
Q. What rules and laws apply to InterExchange participants?
A. International participants are subject to the same laws and regulations as their U.S. counterparts.
Q. What if I need help or have any questions during the season?
A. Please call us at 1-800-621-1202. InterExchange office hours are 9:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. EST, Monday to Friday. There is also a 24-hour emergency assistance line for employers and program participants. This number is 1-917-873-5877.
