Advance Research at Your Higher Education Institution.

Only certain categories of BridgeUSA regulations establish requirements for third-party agreements when placing exchange visitors off campus, most notably for Trainees and Interns as contained at 22 CFR 62.22(g) and for College and University Students (student interns) at 22 CFR 62.23(i).While not required for categories other than Intern, Trainee and College and University Student (student intern), the Department refers sponsors to the requirements of the Form DS-7002 as an example for both assessing third-party organizations and an agreement that accurately outlines expectations for all parties for an off-campus placement.By way of example, in addition to any applicable requirements outlined in the regulations for a specific category of exchange visitor, a written agreement might include the following:Full description of position, title, duties, compensation (if any), location, dates, time commitment, how the program is related to the subject field listed on exchange visitor’s Form DS-2019, and the goals and objectives of the placement.Host organization information, including legal business name; a brief summary of the company’s goals and products and/or services it offers; and site location information, including an up-to-date physical address of the business.Expectations for host organization cooperation, including:Notification of the university sponsor promptly when participants arrive at the site to begin their exchange visitor program, when there are any changes or deviations to the program objectives, when exchange visitors are not meeting the requirements of their placements, or when exchange visitors leave their program 30 days or more ahead of their program end date.Contacting the university sponsor immediately in the event of any emergency involving exchange visitors or any situations that impact their health, safety, or welfare.Acknowledgement that the intent of the Exchange Visitor Program is to allow the exchange visitor to enhance skills and gain exposure to U.S. culture and business prior to returning home upon completion of the program.Commitment to contact the sponsor at the earliest available opportunity regarding any concerns, changes in, or deviations from this agreement.Responding in a timely way to all inquiries and monitoring activities of the sponsor.Commitment to adhere to all applicable regulations, terms, and conditions that govern the placement.As a best practice, and keeping in mind the general obligations of sponsors contained at 22 CFR 62.9 and 62.10, sponsors should also:Establish a monitoring plan for the duration of the exchange visitor’s placement by, for example,‚ÄØidentifying point of contacts, having protocols for reporting, planning for check-ins, and having a way to resolve any conflicts or issues that arise.Evaluate the exchange visitor’s performance and the host organization post-program.Offer host organizations an introduction to the Exchange Visitor Program to ensure they’re provided with accurate information and materials with respect to the objectives of the program and the nature and importance of the cultural components. Sponsors should emphasize the distinction between work-based learning, which is permitted, and ordinary employment or unskilled labor, which is not.Finally, before making the placement, and again keeping in mind the sponsor’s obligations under 22 C.F.R. 62.9 and 62.10 as well as any category-specific obligations and requirements, sponsors should:Assess whether host organizations will be a good match for an exchange visitor (e.g., by determining that the necessary infrastructure is in place to host and support an exchange visitor during their program). Host organizations also must show that their field of research or proposed work-based training plan aligns with the prospective exchange visitor’s program objective on their Form DS-2019.Ensure that the host organization possesses and maintains the ability, personnel, and resources to provide structured and guided work-based training, internship, and/or collaborative research experiences that achieve the goals and objectives of the Exchange Visitor Program.

Yes. Current BridgeUSA regulations allow a diverse spectrum of private sector organizations and businesses to host exchange visitors, including those in academic categories, e.g., Research Scholar. BridgeUSA sponsors remain responsible for the identification and placement of exchange visitors at reputable host organizations that offer exchange visitors quality training and/or research opportunities, and for ensuring the placements meet the regulatory requirements for specific categories.

As defined in 22 CFR 62.4(f), regardless of program length, research scholar activities may include research, lecturing, observing, consulting at research institutions, corporate research facilities, etc.Research scholars are expected to be able to share their expertise and perspectives through the provision of lecturing/teaching/training or consulting. While there will be some on-boarding of scholars and training in the context of learning about the operation of their hosting organizations, they should not be recipients of continuous training, which is more appropriate for other types of exchange visitor placements, such as the Intern and Trainee category. Exchange visitor research should be collaborative in nature, and any training to help prepare a scholar for a successful exchange should be incidental.Testing, preparing data for review; liaising between departments; and general laboratory duties‚ including the preparation of samples, operating and maintaining lab equipment, and keeping records of experimental results‚ are all considered appropriate duties by the Department.

Yes, community colleges are eligible to apply for Department designation to become an Exchange Visitor Program sponsor. Details on applying for designation are available here: https://j1visa.state.gov/sponsors/become-a-sponsor/. Regardless of the sponsor type, the J-1 categories eligible for the STEM Research Initiative include College and University Student (Student Intern and Academic Training), Intern, Trainee, Specialist, Short term Scholar, Professor or Research Scholar.

Responsible Officers have the discretion to request “Permission to Issue” Forms DS-2019 from the Department on behalf of non-designated academic or research institutions if sponsors determine such placements support the purpose of BridgeUSA, and the applicants and proposed institutions meet all eligibility and program requirements set forth in 22 CFR Part 62 BridgeUSA Regulations. The Department created Guidance Directive 2019-02 Permission to Issue in the Exchange Visitor Program to provide sponsors additional information on this process. Sponsors may coordinate with other academic institutions to identify viable host organizations for their exchange visitors; however, they may not abdicate their responsibility for ensuring the host organization meets all regulatory requirements prior to placement. In addition, any exchange visitors placed through this process will remain the responsibility of the sponsoring university. Additionally, sponsors must ensure that SEVIS and the exchange visitor’s Form DS-2019 reflects the actual site of activity (i.e., the STEM business).