Summer Work & Travel 2010

What is the Summer Work and Travel Program (SWT)?

The Summer Work and Travel program is designed for foreign post-secondary students to enter the United States on a nonimmigrant visa to work and travel for a maximum of four months during their summer vacation. Last year over 3500 students in Peru received Summer Work and Travel visas.

Most participants typically work in non-skilled service positions at resorts, hotels, restaurants, and amusement parks. However, summer internships are allowed in other U.S. businesses and organizations including, but not limited to: architecture, science research, graphic art/publishing and other media communication, advertising, computer software and electronics, and legal offices. The term of the internship may not exceed the four-month program duration and must be completed during the student's summer vacation. U.S. State Department regulations prohibit the placement of program participants as domestic help in U.S. households or in positions requiring them to invest their own money for inventory such as door-to-door sales. Students may only apply to the Summer Work and Travel Program through approved agencies (click here for the list).

Please refer to the regulations [22 CFR 62.32] (PDF 50 KB) for details and to the US Department of State Frequently Asked Questions.

When is the Summer Work and Travel (SWT) Season for Peru?

The 2010 SWT program dates are December 1, 2010 to March 31, 2011. It is important to note that while the 2010 SWT program ends March 31, 2011, all participants should be in Peru when their university starts the next semester. The 2010 SWT interviews begin at the U.S. Embassy in Lima on September 14, 2010, and run through December 15, 2010.

Who is eligible to participate in the SWT program?

Applicants:

• Must be enrolled in a full-time course of post-secondary study and pursuing a degree from an accredited educational institution (click here for the approved institutions);
• Must demonstrate they will continue studies after participating in SWT; and Seniors must show strong plans for graduate school or work in Peru upon their return;
• Must demonstrate English proficiency at a level at which they can successfully perform their job and live in the United States.

Students eligible for this program will apply through their sponsors— agencies (PDF 179 KB) that work with universities and institutes (PDF 179 KB) in Peru. Program regulations permit participants to repeat the program more than once.

Can students who are refused a SWT visa re-apply during the same SWT season?

Yes, a previous refusal for a tourist or other type of visa does not preclude you from applying for a SWT visa. However, the SWT program is designed for bona fide students. Students who cannot demonstrate that they returned to Peru in time last year to begin their classes will be refused a visa. Furthermore, if the student makes purposeful misstatements as to when he or she returned to Peru or when school started, they could be found permanently ineligible for a U.S. visa.

Those students interested in re-applying for a visa should be able to provide additional or new information that was not available during their previous interview. This information must exhibit a substantial change in their situation or eligibility for a SWT visa.

What does a sponsor do?

Sponsors ensure that participants entering the United States without prearranged employment have sufficient financial resources to support themselves during their search for employment. In addition, sponsors must provide such participants with information on how to seek employment and secure lodging in the United States before they depart their home countries. Finally, sponsors must undertake reasonable efforts to secure suitable employment for participants unable to find jobs on their own after one week.

Issued a SWT visa?

If you were issued a SW&T visa, please visit the information about the William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (PDF 248 KB).

Please click here (PDF 179 KB) to find the 2010 list of SW&T approved Universities, Institutes and Agencies (PDF 248 KB).

Debunking Visa Myths

U.S. visas have received much attention worldwide and in Peru-with that rumors and myths have evolved. We hope to de-mystify the visa process and clarify a few issues by addressing "visa myths" we have heard in Peru.

• Myth: My visa was refused because I didn't present enough documents.
• Truth: The U.S. visa application- especially for tourist visas- is interview-based rather than document-based. While there are a few specific visa classes that require some documentary support (i.e. student visas and visas for minors), tourist visas do not. Except for those documents specifically requested under other visa classes, you do not need to bring documents related to your trip to the interview unless you are traveling for business and your employer is paying for your trip. Please note that visa fixers or touts are individuals who claim to have documents and packages that will help you get a visa are often outside the Embassy. Not only do you not need the documents or packages they want to sell you but purchasing and presenting these documents to a consular officer will diminish the likelihood of your getting a visa and may lead to a life-long visa ineligibility.
• Myth: If you were born July 4th, you automatically get a visa.
• Truth: An applicant's date of birth does not affect their visa eligibility.
• Myth: Peru is eligible for the Visa Lottery and you will be invited to participate after paying a fee.
• Truth: Peru is NOT eligible for the Diversity Visa Lottery program (visa lottery) because of the high number (more than 50,000) of Peruvian immigrants to the United States over the previous five (5) years. Please do not pay any fees for a visa unless it is requested while you are inside the Embassy for your interview.
• Myth: Having a letter of invitation means I will be issued a visa.
• Truth: Many applicants have friends and family members in the U.S. who will often want to provide letters of invitation. Since immigration law focuses on each individual applicant's eligibility for a visa, these letters will not affect whether or not an applicant qualifies for a tourist visa and will often not be accepted by Consuls during the interview. Each visa applicant must qualify for the type of visa they are requesting. While someone else may pay for your trip to the U.S., you must qualify for the visa, not the person paying for your trip or traveling with you. The majority of visa classes (including tourist and study visas) require applicants to overcome non-immigrant law which presumes each applicant is an intending immigrant. Each applicant's case is evaluated during the interview on its own particular merits. To overcome the presumption that you are an intending immigrant, you will need to demonstrate your ties to Peru. During your interview you should be able to describe the social, educational, professional, and financial ties that you have to Peru. Since your particular ties will be assessed during the interview, there is no information a third party, such as the touts outside the Embassy, can provide to improve your chances of being issued a visa. Therefore, it is best to candidly answer the questions asked during your interview.
• Myth: The consular section will issue an exact amount of visas per day (no more, no less).
• Truth: There is no quota for how many tourist visas can be issued in one day. While certain petition-based visa classes are numerically limited annually, these limitations do not affect the majority of non-immigrant visas.
• Myth: I should pay a consultant to prepare for my interview; maybe buy a map of the section and anticipate what questions will be asked and to know the correct answer.
• Truth: The Embassy does not recognize any "visa consultants" and there are no "correct answers" to our questions. We therefore STRONGLY advise against any purported services to help you get a visa. In fact, using the services of touts or visa fixers will worsen your chances of receiving a visa.
• Myth: You will get a visa if you get a yellow ticket at the intake window.
• Truth: The Consulate section of the U.S. Embassy in Lima processes hundreds of visas daily in a wide range of visa classifications. We have developed processes to help provide the most efficient service available to our clients; these processes, including ticket colors, do not affect an applicant's visa eligibility.
• Myth: At the tray in the interview window there is a lie detector machine.
• Truth: Consuls do not use lie detectors and there are no lie detectors at the interview windows.

Did you find this article useful? Are there any specific topics you would like the Consul to discuss? Please send your comments to the Visa Section email.