J-1 Summer Work Travel for employers

How the program works

J-1 Summer Work Travel is run by the U.S. Department of State through designated sponsors. Participants are university students on a break, working seasonal jobs for up to four months.

Northern Hemisphere students typically arrive for the U.S. summer, which lines up with the busiest months in beach and resort markets.

Two ways to host

Alto as host employer: where our structure meets program requirements, participants are Alto employees. We employ and pay them, provide full-time on-site supervision and control the worksite.

You as host employer: your company hosts the participants. We manage readiness, sponsor matching, paperwork, housing, transportation and support. Participant orientation is run by the sponsor.

Sponsors screen and select every participant. Participants work in eligible seasonal roles only: no warehouse or distribution work, no jobs worked mostly between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m., and no jobs that need a driver’s license. Participants are never contractors, and they never pay Alto a fee.