Host Employer Vetting
This resource is intended for host employers who are seeking to join or are already part of the Job Placement Program.
Job Vetting Requirements
InterExchange must vet all initial, replacement, and additional jobs based on U.S. Department of State regulations and guidance in order to verify that participants will be pursuing the purpose of the Exchange Visitor Program.
InterExchange will not accept job offers made through unvetted third parties or staffing agencies, whether international or domestic. These unvetted agencies pose potential risks to the participant’s health, safety, and welfare and can undermine the core foreign policy goals of the Summer Work Travel program.
If you are unsure whether you are working or speaking with a third party, please contact us at 1-800-621-1202. Please note that all InterExchange staff will have an @interexchange.org email domain.
Acceptable Job Placements
All host employers hiring InterExchange Work & Travel USA participants must demonstrate a seasonal or temporary need for additional staff during the months that the participants work. The positions must be entry-level and unskilled, requiring minimal training. These participants must not displace U.S. workers at worksites where they are placed. Sponsors cannot place participants with host employers that have experienced layoffs in the past 120 days or have workers on lockout or on strike.
Host Employer Required Documents
The U.S. Department of State requires that we verify and obtain a copy of the current business license to confirm a business entity is registered to conduct business in the jurisdictions where the participants are placed. We must also collect workers’ compensation policies that show your workers’ compensation coverage is sufficient and active during the period of placement.
Documents must be uploaded to the host employer’s online account for verification and approval.
Business License
Acceptable documents can include any business, professional, privilege, or occupational license, permit, registration, or certificate issued by the jurisdiction where the business operates granting the employer the right to operate in that jurisdiction. Where the jurisdiction does not issue tangible business licenses, the employer’s online listing or filing on the state Secretary of State website showing the entity to be in “good standing” may be acceptable. Documents issued by a government tax authority, authorizing a business to collect taxes, will not be accepted.
Acceptable documents must:
- Include the name of the business.
- Be valid for the duration of the participant’s program. You will be asked to upload an updated business license once the current one expires.
- Show that your business is authorized to operate in the city, county, state, or jurisdiction in which it resides.
Examples of acceptable documents include:
- Articles of Incorporation with Certificate of Existence/Good Standing issued by the state Secretary of State
- Liquor License
- Health Inspection Permit
Proof of Worker’s Compensation Coverage
This includes either a deck sheet or the policy’s cover page. This document should include:
- Policy holder’s name (business name)
- Carrier name (insurance company)
- Policy number
- Site address(es) where participants will be working
- Effective dates – must be valid for the duration of the participant’s program. You will be asked to upload an updated copy once the current policy expires.
- Limits of Liability
This information can usually be found within the first two pages of the policy. If this information is on more than one page, please send all pages that include the required information.
Prohibited Positions
InterExchange must vet all initial, replacement, and additional jobs based on U.S. Department of State regulations and guidance to verify that participants will pursue the purpose of the J-1 Visa program. The following positions are not allowed on the InterExchange Work & Travel USA program:
- In positions that could bring notoriety or disrepute to the Exchange Visitor Program;
- In sales positions that require participants to purchase inventory that they must sell in order to support themselves;
- In domestic help positions in private homes (e.g., child care, elder care, gardener, chauffeur);
- As pedicab or rolling chair drivers or operators;
- As operators or drivers of vehicles or vessels for which drivers’ licenses are required regardless of whether they carry passengers or not;
- In positions related to clinical care that involve patient contact;
- In any position in the adult entertainment industry (including, but not limited to jobs with escort services, adult book/video stores, and strip clubs);
- In positions requiring work hours that fall predominantly between 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m.;
- In positions declared hazardous to youth by the Secretary of Labor at Subpart E of 29 CFR part 570;
- In positions that require sustained physical contact with other people and/or adherence to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Universal Blood and Body Fluid Precautions guidelines (e.g., body piercing, tattooing (including henna), massage, manicure, hair braiding);
- In positions at businesses that offer body piercing, tattooing (including henna), massage, manicure, hair braiding;
- In positions that are substantially commission-based and thus do not guarantee that participants will be paid minimum wage in accordance with federal and state standards;
- In positions involved in gaming and gambling that include direct participation in wagering and/or betting;
- In positions in chemical pest control, warehousing, catalogue/online order distribution centers;
- In positions with traveling fairs or itinerant concessionaires;
- In positions for which there is another specific J visa category (e.g., camp counselor, intern, trainee) ;
- In positions in the North American Industry Classification System’s (NAICS) Goods-Producing Industries occupational categories industry sectors 11, 21, 23, 31-33 numbers as outlined by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, including, but not limited to: construction (includes specialty trade contractors), mining (includes oil and gas extraction, support activities for mining), manufacturing (food manufacturing, textile mills, apparel manufacturing, wood product manufacturing, printing), natural resources (crop production, animal production, fishing, support activities for agriculture and forestry);
- Positions through employment or staffing agencies;
- Positions in kiosks or cart stands at malls;
- Positions in home-based businesses;
- Positions in warehouses or factories;
- Administrative positions handling sensitive/personal information;
- Positions as an independent contractor (1099 Form employee);
- Positions in fisheries;
- Positions in door-to-door sales or canvassing;
- Positions in industrial style/scale service sector (jobs that involve assembly lines, repetitive movement using heavy machinery, use of industrial size steamers/pressers and dryers, use of industrial chemicals, factory-like atmosphere);
- Positions at single-guard pools;
- Positions that involve the use of deli slicers;
- Positions that are not compensated hourly e.g. piece wages, stipends, etc.;
- Positions as an independent contractor/hired on a 1099 form;
- With employers who hire J-1 students for three seasons (spring, summer, winter)
- Positions in which the host employer has received cash or gift incentives to accept program participants
