Happy Memorial Day from InterExchange

It’s Memorial Day weekend, so InterExchange would like to extend a warm welcome to all our participants from around the world who are beginning their work program in the US! Welcome to the United States! To get you into the spirit of the holiday, here are a few facts about how and why Americans celebrate Memorial Day.
• Memorial Day is the unofficial “beginning of summer” here in the US, and many of our seasonal employers start training their international workers and gearing up for the busy summer season in the weeks leading up to Memorial Day. Memorial day and Labor Day (in September) are the two bookend holidays that define the summer season.
• To most Americans, Memorial Day is a long holiday weekend that gives them their first chance of the summer to go to the beach or the swimming pool, enjoy a picnic or barbeque with family and friends, and get started on that home improvement or gardening project.
• It officially started in 1868, and was originally called “Decoration Day”. The holiday was established to commemorate fallen soldiers from the Civil War, however over the years it has become a day to remember all US men and women who were lost in the wars. Many American communities celebrate with Memorial Day parades and fireworks displays.

How to Decide Which InterExchange Staffing Program is Right for Your Business

You’ve thought about hiring seasonal or short-term international workers, but where do you start? InterExchange offers different international work programs that can handle international recruiting for employers of all sizes. Here’s a quick checklist to help you decide which one is right for your business:

The Work & Travel USA Program is recommended for employers who:
• Need short-term or seasonal staff (limited to 3-4 months)
• Need staff in retail, restaurant, kitchen, maintenance, housekeeping, dishwashing or ride operations departments.
• Can offer full time hours: 35-40 hrs/week

The Career Training USA Program is recommended for employers who:
• Need interns or trainees with university training or prior professional work experience
• Can offer paid internships or trainee positions for up to 18 months
• Can provide full time, professional level positions

Every employer is different, and some employers elect to work with more than one program to fill all their staffing needs. These programs are regulated by the US Department of State, and therefore some industries may not qualify. Please contact Larry Rothchild at lrothchild@interexchange.org to discuss your specific needs.

Extending Your Visa? We Can Help!

If you’re in the USA on an H-2B Visa, you probably already know that you can extend it for up to 3 years with different employers. If you want to extend, you need to follow the procedures carefully to make sure there’s no lapse in your visa status. First of all, you need to find a job! Because H-2B positions are temporary, you probably won’t be able to extend with your current employer. If you’d like our help in finding an H-2B position, check out our online job board to view available positions. Once you find a job you’re interested in, fill out the online application form (it’s free!). We will email you a complete job description and request copies of your I-94 card, H-2B Visa sticker and a passport cover page.

Perspectives from an H-2B Participant

Many people around the world are interested in the H-2B program, but the process can be intimidating. H2-B Visa USA helps employers and workers through the process. If you’re thinking about applying to our program, we wanted to give you a sense of what to expect, so we asked a participant who’s about to travel to the US from Brazil what the experience has been like so far.