May 27, 2020
Recently the U.S. Department of State announced a continued pause on all federally funded exchange programs due to the State Department Global Level 4 Health Advisory. This announcement does not directly affect our Summer Work and Travel, Intern, Trainee or Teach programs; however, there are still considerable obstacles preventing us from moving towards arrivals in the short term.
U.S. Embassies and Consulates remain closed, further delaying the opportunity for J-1 visa appointments.
Flights into the U.S. remain limited in availability, further delaying arrival timelines.
Summer Work and Travel
We remain prepared to safely welcome Summer Work Travel participants who received visas prior to mid-March to the U.S. this summer and have identified host companies still in need of seasonal staff with the hours and safety protocols in place to support exchange visitors. Until we know when U.S. Embassies and Consulates will re-open non-immigrant visa appointments, we cannot anticipate if participants without visas will be able to travel. We are in close touch with our overseas agencies and have recently provided information on program options for you to review, including deferring your program to 2021.
Intern and Trainee
At this time, Alliance Abroad continues to work closely with our Host Companies who support the Intern and Trainee program to determine when they will be able to resume hospitality training and/or welcome new exchange visitors. Once we have confirmed new program start dates, we will reach out to each placed exchange visitor not yet in the U.S. to determine if the new start date is viable based on U.S. Embassy and Consulate appointment availability and in-country travel restrictions. We have also provided your home country agency with additional options for your program to consider should you wish to defer to 2021 or select a different Alliance Abroad program.
Teach
Alliance Abroad is still actively placing Teachers for fall arrivals for the 2020 – 2021 school year.
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Our top priority is to ensure the health, safety, and welfare of our exchange visitors. We continue working closely with host companies and host schools, housing vendors, fellow sponsors, and the Department of State to implement the best practices and recommendations of the CDC and design strong policies and procedures that will protect our exchange visitors.
Our placements will always compliment and never replace American workers/trainees.
Should there be any changes or decisions from the U.S. government we will update our website immediately and contact our overseas partners. Should you wish to speak with an Alliance Abroad team member, please call 1-866-622-7623.
Respectfully,
Adam Cooper
President of Alliance Abroad U.S.A.
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