Overview

This page provides guidance to students, local recruiting agencies, and U.S. sponsors for the 2024 Summer Work Travel (SWT) Program. Due to the popularity of this program, we expect many Thai students to apply again this year. The program is only open to bona fide students. We regularly consult with the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation and Thai universities to determine who is a bona fide student. Other partners include U.S. sponsors, the Government of Thailand, and local recruiting agencies.

Dates and Deadlines 

The U.S. Embassy Thailand is pleased to announce that we will have two timeframes for SWT in 2024, from March 7^th – July 7^th (Spring break) and May 7^th – September 7^th (Summer break), depending on the student’s academic break. All students, including fourth year graduating students, must participate in the SWT timeframe that corresponds with their university’s designated breaks.  Fourth year students who have finished their degree requirements but not yet graduated can choose to participate in either a spring or summer SWT program but must comply with program dates.

SWT participants must be back in class before the start of the next semester or graduation. The U.S. Embassy will only accept Certificates for Exchange Visitor Status (DS-2019 forms, which applicants require to obtain a visa) with dates that begin on or after:

1. March 7^th and end on or before July 7^th, 2024 (Spring break) OR
2. May 7^th and end on or before September 7^th, 2024 (Summer Break).

We expect recruiting agencies to make travel arrangements that have their students back in class on time.

We will begin interviewing for the Summer Work Travel Program in January 2024. All appointments must be scheduled in advance. Agencies should request appointments via http://ustraveldocs.com/th as soon as they:

1. Have gathered all required documents, including DS-2019 forms.
2. Have verified students’ English skills, grades, and jobs; and
3. Have ensured that their clients’ online visa applications are complete and correct.

Students should come to the interview on time, as scheduled in the appointment system, with their documents ready as presented in the check list document (See “SWT Agency Requirements” below).

Applicant Qualification Requirements

To participate in this program, exchange visitors must meet the following requirements:

• Participants must be students enrolled in a full-time course of post-secondary study and actively pursuing a degree from an accredited classroom-based educational institution.
• Prospective exchange visitors must also possess sufficient proficiency in the English language to participate in their programs.
• Participants must come to the U.S. Embassy in Bangkok or U.S. Consulate General in Chiang Mai for a visa interview.
• The U.S. Consulate General in Chiang Mai serves SWT participants in the following 15 provinces of northern Thailand: Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Kamphaengphet, Lampang, Lamphun, Mae Hong Son, Nan, Phetchabun, Phayao, Phichit, Phitsanulok, Phrae, Sukhothai, Tak, and Uttaradit.
• Students from other countries who study in Thailand may participate in the program.
• Thai students studying abroad should apply for visas at the U.S. Embassy in the country where they study. For example, students in Japan should apply for visas at the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo, Japan.

Timely Return

Students must return to Thailand before the start of the next semester. Recruiters and/or sponsors who book travel for their participants should make flight reservations that return their students home to Thailand in time for the start of classes.

While U.S. immigration law permits J-1 visa holders up to 30 days to depart the United States after the conclusion of the program, it does not excuse Thai students from their obligation to return to their studies. SWT participants who return late will have difficulty qualifying for U.S. visas in the future.

SWT Agency Requirements

SWT recruiting agencies must comply with Thai legal requirements and must have a contractual affiliation with a U.S. sponsor.

Visa Interview Appointment

Students or the recruiter should schedule an appointment using the online appointment system at http://www.ustraveldocs.com/th.

Students must provide the listed documents in the following order on the day of their appointment:

A passport valid for at least six months after the date on which the applicant plans to depart the United States and which has at least two empty visa pages.

1. A passport valid for at least six months after the date on which the applicant plans to depart the United States and which has at least two empty visa pages.
2. A photo uploaded with their DS-160 online application. The photo must be taken within the last six months and glasses must be removed for the picture. Students must also bring one color photo (5×5 cm, against a white background, no color contact lens) to their interview.
3. Form DS-2019 signed by U.S. sponsor (wet signatures or digital signatures are acceptable.) and the applicant with program eligibility dates (found in block 3 of the form) between March 7^th – July 7^th (Spring break) or May 7^th – September 7^th (Summer break). We cannot accept DS-2019 forms with errors.
4. Student and Exchange Visitor International System SEVIS fee receipt. All J-1 visa applicants with initial DS-2019 forms are required to pay the $35.00 SEVIS fee. Applicants are required to pay the SEVIS fee before visa interview. Instructions for paying the SEVIS fee can be found online at https://www.fmjfee.com.
5. The applicant’s original academic transcript that was recently issued.

Applicant Requirements

• Each student must check-in with his/her sponsor upon arrival in the U.S. Please use your full name as it appears on your passport in the communication.
• The student must tell the sponsor about any change in job or address. If students change jobs or housing without telling their sponsors, their program may be terminated for the J-1 Summer Work Travel program and students will have to leave the U.S. immediately.

Reminders

• The Form DS-2019 for students in Thai universities must indicate a start date no earlier than March 7^th and an end date on or before July 7^th, 2024 for Spring applicants, and a start date no earlier than May 7^th and an end date on or before September 7^th, 2024 for Summer applicants. All students can choose to participate in either a spring or summer SWT program but must stay within the program dates.
• Students are NOT allowed to work outside the dates on the DS-2019 form, even if they are in the U.S.
• If the program start date specified in an applicant’s Form DS-2019 has passed or you believe that a student will be unable to travel in time for that date, the sponsor must have the responsible officer amend the SEVIS record to change the program start date before the students come for his/her interview.
• SWT recruiting agencies will need to schedule appointments online for each of their students using the following website: http://www.ustraveldocs.com/th. All agencies will have access to large blocks of time where many visa interview appointment slots will be available. Once all the documents are ready for your students, agencies should schedule appointments without delay. If you wait until the very end to book slots, you will likely miss out on the earlier appointment dates.
• Although we will verify student enrollment directly with universities, recruiting agencies are still responsible for verifying the student enrollment status of their applicants.
• Make sure your students speak English! Regardless of the job, they must be able to have a conversation with employers, landlords, bus drivers, store clerks, or anyone else they meet in the U.S.

***Please remind your students that the Embassy security procedures require that all visitors receive a security inspection. Each student will be allowed to deposit only one cell phone at the Embassy gate. The U.S. Embassy will not accept the storage of any other battery-operated or electronic devices.