The Summer Work and Travel (SWT) is an exchange program that permits university students to work and travel in the United States during summer vacations. It is a great opportunity to explore the U.S.A., get to know its culture and people, improve English skills, gain work experience, and earn some money. In 2010, about 130,000 university students around the world participated in the SWT program, including almost 4,000 students in Moldova.
Because the program is so important and so popular, the U.S. Department of State has established a "pilot program" to increase safeguards for SWT students. The pilot program covers the SWT program in Belarus, Bulgaria, Moldova, Romania, Russia, and Ukraine, whose students make up about 30 percent of participants in the program.
For the upcoming 2011 SWT season, every SWT student in Moldova will need to have a job offer before applying for a U.S. visa. Sponsor agencies in the U.S. will ensure a stronger, safer program by identifying and verifying the job offers before the students receive them. All parties-sponsor agencies, Moldovan recruiting agencies, and the U.S. Embassy-will work to make sure that all SWT students understand their rights and responsibilities.
The U.S. Department of State has given the new pilot program guidelines to the U.S. sponsor agencies, who are working with their overseas partners, including SWT recruiting agencies in Moldova, to implement the new rules. We believe these new measures will provide a better and safer Summer Work and Travel experience for students.
