About the Work & Travel Program - Information for Students
Program Dates and Duration
You may participate in the WISE Work and Travel program during your summer vacation. This means that if you live in the Northern Hemisphere, your program dates are in the summer season in the U.S., starting as early as May. If you live in the Southern Hemisphere, your program dates are in the winter season of the U.S., starting as early as December. Your actual dates of participation depend on your university's official summer holiday dates. You can only participate in the program during these dates for a maximum of 4 months. After you have completed your time of working for your employer as agreed upon in the contract you signed before you began the job, you are allowed to travel for a maximum of 30 days, a time also known as "the grace period." You are not allowed to work during this time, but you may choose to travel around the U.S. as a tourist at your own arrangement and expense. This grace period is only available to those who successfully complete their program and who have enough time between finishing work and beginning school to travel in the U.S. You MUST return to your home country before the first official day of classes for your university, even if you are a final year student and have already graduated. The general dates of availability are listed below, but please remember that these dates are NOT the exact dates of the Work and Travel Program. Rather, these dates are the general guideline within which you can travel and work in the U.S. as permitted by your university's summer holiday dates. The dates vary from country to country and from university to university. If you are unsure about the dates of your program, please contact us.
Spring Program: March - July (4 month maximum)
Students arrive as early as March 1 and work as late as July 5. Participants are from Thailand and the Philippines.
Summer Program: May - October (4 month maximum)
Students arrive as early as mid-May and as late as early July. Participants are generally from the Northern Hemisphere.
Winter Program: December - April (4 month maximum)
Students arrive from early to mid-December. Participants are from generally from the Southern Hemisphere.
Please note that once WISE® receives your application, the process takes 4-6 weeks. Once you receive your DS-2019 form you will still need to go to the US Consulate to interview for the J1 visa. Some consulates take up to 4 weeks to issue the visa. Please plan ahead so that you can arrive on time for work in the US!
