Greenheart and the 6/22/20 Proclamation

The President of the United States issued a proclamation yesterday entitled “Proclamation Suspending Entry of Aliens Who Present a Risk to the U.S. Labor Market Following the Coronavirus Outbreak.” This proclamation suspends the entry of people seeking to obtain a nonimmigrant visa, including those seeking J-1 visas to participate in the Summer Work Travel, Intern, Trainee, Teacher, Au Pair, and Camp Counselor programs. This proclamation goes into effect on June 24, 2020 and expires on December 31, 2020. The proclamation excludes participants who are already in the country on existing visas and those who are already in possession of a visa at the time of the proclamation’s effective date.

J-1 and F-1 High School programs, as well as Short-Term High School programs, are NOT included in this proclamation and visa issuance will move forward according to each country’s schedule once consulates resume activities.

As you can imagine, this proclamation has a devastating impact on our community of international educators, agencies, participants, host organizations, host schools, and travel enthusiasts. Greenheart strongly opposes the inclusion of the J-1 Exchange Visitor Program in the proclamation.

Greenheart has provided cultural exchange programs for 35 years and we know the positive impact these experiences have on the lives of participants and Americans. International exchange programs increase cultural understanding and support diplomatic efforts worldwide. In addition, cultural exchange programs positively contribute more than $1.2 billion to the United States economy each year. By law, participants do not displace American workers. In fact, these programs enable many American host businesses to remain open year-round.

Greenheart will join with the Alliance of International Exchange to save these programs. We will share more information soon about how you can help support cultural exchange programs.

As soon as possible, we will be sharing Q&As with more up-to-date information on the impact of the proclamation on Greenheart programs. This and the Q&As will continue to be updated as more information becomes available.

Thank you.