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Privacy Notice
Greenheart International
Effective Date: 1/9/2019
This privacy notice describes how Greenheart International collects, uses, and discloses Personally Identifying Information (also known as “PII”) or Personal Data (collectively “Personal Information”) from and about users of Greenheart International websites. This privacy notice also applies to any associated paper forms. Please read this privacy notice before using Greenheart International websites or submitting any personal information.
These practices may be changed at any time. Changes will be posted along with the date of the change. You should review this privacy notice when you visit Greenheart International websites to make sure that you understand how Personal Information is collected, used, and disclosed.
The Personal Information you provide to us is only used to:
We may use non-Personal Information for additional reasons described in the remainder of this privacy notice.
If you identify yourself to us by sending us an email with questions or comments, we may retain your comments for future reference.
Greenheart collects Personal Information, which is information that on its own or in combination with other information may be used to identify, contact, or locate an individual. Examples include:
Greenheart International collects other information that relates to you but does not identify you. Examples include clickstream data and web-browsing information (such as the date and time you visit a website, whether you click on various advertisements or links and the search terms you enter when using a website), and information about your computer, device and internet connection, and geographic location.
We collect Personal Information from you in the following ways:
We may share information gathered by us from Greenheart International websites with governmental agencies or other companies assisting us in providing services to you. We may do so when:
Information provided under one of the four preceding bullet points will not be used by those receiving it for marketing purposes, unless specifically authorized by the user.
Third parties who provide webhosting services or other services that make possible the operation of Greenheart International websites and the services you request through the websites may have access to information that you provide us to the extent that those third parties require access to our databases to service the websites.
In connection with the sale or transfer of all or part of our assets, we reserve the right to transfer information we have obtained from or about you.
We are not responsible for any breach of security or for any actions of any third parties that receive information from us.
Greenheart International websites are hosted and maintained in the United States of America. Your Personal Information may be transmitted to countries outside of the European Economic Area, including the United States of America. You can obtain details of the mechanism under which your personal data is transferred outside the EU by contacting us. If your Personal Information is transferred outside the European Economic Area to third party service providers, we will take steps to ensure that your Personal Information receives the same level of protection as if it remained within the European Economic Area, including by entering into data transfer agreements using the European Commission approved Standard Contractual Clauses, or by relying on certification schemes such as the EU–US Privacy Shield.
Greenheart International websites use cookie and tracking technology to collect non-Personal Information. Our system also automatically gathers information about areas you visit on our websites, and about the links you select from within one of our websites to the other areas of the World Wide Web or elsewhere online. We use such information in the aggregate to understand how our users as a group use the services and resources provided on our websites. This way we know which areas of our websites are preferred by our users, which areas need improvement, and what technologies are being used so that we may continually improve our websites. Personal Information cannot be collected via cookies and other tracking technology, however, if you previously provided us with your Personal Information, cookies may be tied to such information. Aggregate cookie and tracking information may be shared with third parties but that aggregate information does not identify individual website users. Our web servers do not record visitor email addresses unless that information is submitted by the visitor. We may determine what technology is available through your browser to provide you with the most appropriate version of a web page. Greenheart International uses Google Analytics, Facebook Pixel, Gravity Forms, Yoast, Formstack, Calendly, GoOverseas, and other web traffic tracking tools.
Greenheart International websites contain links to other websites. These links are for your convenience. We do not control, endorse or review the privacy notices of other websites, which may be different than this privacy notice. You should review the privacy notice of other websites before choosing to disclose Personal Information.
Greenheart takes steps to secure your Personal Information. We exercise care in providing secure transmissions when we need to transfer your Personal Information from our servers. Our websites use secure server software encryption, which is indicated by https in the url of the website. Encryption is a common method of ensuring that information remains private. Greenheart International cannot guarantee or warrant that the information that you transmit to us, or any communications is completely secure.
Greenheart International only retains data for as long as necessary for the purposes indicated in this privacy notice or for such other period as may be permitted or required by law.
For children age 14-16, Greenheart International takes additional steps to protect their Personal Information. We do not intend to collect Personal Information from children aged 13 or younger. These additional steps include:
The marks Greenheart, Greenheart Heart Logo, and Sobresmesa are either registered or unregistered trademarks of Greenheart International. All Rights Reserved. Any unauthorized use is prohibited.
Certain jurisdictions provide their residents or citizens with certain rights about their Personal Information. These may include the right to request access to the data we hold about you, to obtain a copy of your Personal Information, to request that your Personal Information be erased, to correct inaccurate information, to ask us to restrict how we process your Personal Information, or to withdraw your consent to our processing of your Personal Information. Your individual rights will depend on your residency and citizenship.
Please contact us using the following information for more information about this privacy notice, to notify us of a concern or complaint, or to exercise any of the individual rights you may have.
Data Protection Officer
By mail: 742 N LaSalle Dr. Chicago, IL 60654 Suite 300, USA
By email: click here
By phone: +1 312-944-2544
Additionally, all marketing emails and newsletters from Greenheart International allow you to opt out of further correspondence. You can do so by clicking the link within the emails, which will guide you on how to opt-out.
The Department of State has just updated the requirements of DS-2019 forms, and it is a win for the exchange community! Here’s the update:
“The U.S. Department of State is pleased to announce the publication of an Interim Final Rule in the Federal Register on March 28, 2023, that permits designated sponsors for the Exchange Visitor Program (EVP) to digitally sign and electronically transmit the Certificate of Eligibility for Exchange Visitor Status (J-Nonimmigrant) (Form DS-2019), effective April 27, 2023. The new regulation will reduce costs, improve efficiencies for exchange program sponsors, and streamline Department of State exchange visitor visa processing.”
A DS-2019 form is the all-important document that prospective exchange visitors need (amongst other documentation) in order to apply and attend a visa appointment at their local American consulate. Without this document, anyone coming on a BridgeUSA (J-1) program cannot attend an appointment, receive a visa, arrive to the United States, nor complete an exchange program.
Up until now, DS-2019 forms had to be signed on paper (and only in blue ink) by a Responsible Officer at the sponsor agency, in this case Greenheart Exchange. The document was then sent internationally via courier post to the prospective exchange visitor or their sending agency in their home country. If all goes well, the form can arrive to the exchange visitor within 2-3 business days of being sent. However, this was not usually the case. It could take a week to arrive, maybe even more than 2 weeks with some of the supply issues that have effected transit and efficient delivery of posts.
Time is of the essence for prospective exchange visitors. Prior to the pandemic, there were often concerns about finding visa appointments. Depending on the post, there may have only been a certain amount of appointments available, within a specific timeframe. However, the pandemic exacerbated this concern as embassies and consulates dealt with staffing issues, closures, local public health mandates and requirements from the Department of State overall. The sooner that an exchange visitor receives a DS-2019 form, the sooner they can make an appointment and the more likely they are to travel to the U.S. for their program.
Costs are a concern for sponsors and sending agents. Courier fees have historically been built into program fees for participants. However, there have always been outliers (shipping mistakes, etc.) that have financially burdened sponsors and agents. As was mentioned, supply chain issues have delayed deliveries, forcing shipments to be expedited, increasing costs. In the last year, worldwide inflation has increased the cost of everything, including courier fees.
Now that DS-2019 forms can be electronically signed and sent electronically, time and costs concerns will be significantly reduced, supporting more efficient operational procedures and minimizing errors.
American hosts may be wondering “how does this affect me?” Your exchange visitors will be able to schedule a visa appointment and get their visa earlier, allowing you to prepare for their arrival and your season or year. If you are an American employer, previously, you may have found out about a visa denial much too late in the season, making it harder to replace this hire. Or perhaps it was hard to plan arrival orientations or housing accommodations because you did not have the set hires for your season until late. This change will help to prevent these frustrations.
With this barrier eliminated, Greenheart is excited to support our agents, hosts and exchange visitors more so they can take more time to prepare for a successful program.
Have questions about what is a proper electronic signature? Reach out to your Greenheart contact. They will be happy to help!
If you are a business who would like to host international seasonal staff for a cultural exchange, please visit HirewithGreenheart.org to learn more.