Bridgeusa
exchange Programs

Regulatory status: According to the Fall 2024 Regulatory Agenda, the Department of State plans to publish an interim final rule (IFR) to increase the maximum deductible for health insurance that all exchange visitors and their dependents, if any, must carry while in the United States in J visa status, and changing the coverage requirements from per accident or illness to per contract. The IFR will also reorganize the section of the Exchange Visitor Program regulations containing insurance requirements, clarify existing requirements, and eliminate some unnecessary language. Note that earlier this year in the Spring 2024 Regulatory Agenda, the regulation was only in the prerule stage. 

Alliance efforts: The Alliance will work to gather information on the impact of potential changes on different programs and to deliver proactive feedback to the Department.   

Regulatory status: After the proposed rule overhauling the regulations governing the Au Pair Program was introduced in October 2023, the Department of State has stated that it will issue a new Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) that will take into consideration the 10,000+ comments from the first comment period. This intention was published in both the Spring and Fall 2024 Regulatory Agendas and was noted by ECA officials at multiple conferences during the fall of 2024. This new NPRM will be open to public comments. 

According to the most recent regulatory agenda, this new proposed rule will address child-care hours, compensation, host family and au pair agreements; stronger au pair protections; and provide additional education options. The Department is considering options for listening sessions ahead of publication. It’s unclear when this new NPRM might be published, but ECA officials have publicly stated that it’s very unlikely any final Au Pair regulation would be issued in 2025.  

Alliance efforts: Early in 2024, the Alliance weighed in on the proposed regulation and its significant impact in a number of ways. We compiled member feedback and created a 50+ page comment letter to the Department, supported a legal comment letter, and facilitated a grassroots letter-writing campaign that generated more than 5,000 comments from the larger Au Pair community. The Alliance continues to engage regularly with the Department as they work on the new NPRM.    

Regulatory status: In early 2024, the Department was in the prerule stage updating the regulations governing the Camp Counselor program. In the Spring 2024 Regulatory Agenda, the Department stated its intention to seek public comment through an Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) on present requirements and potential future changes to the Camp Counselor regulations. The information gathered from this ANPRM would inform an NPRM, which would also be open to public comment.   

However, in the recent Fall 2024 Regulatory Agenda, the Camp Counselor regulation was removed from the docket for the immediate future. This change aligns with public comments from ECA officials during the fall of 2024 that it’s not likely that a final Camp Counselor regulation would be published in 2025.  

Alliance efforts: The Alliance facilitates a Camp Counselor Working Group to guide the Alliance’s preparation of community recommendations around the regulations and help inform the content of a future proposed rule.    

Regulatory status: The planned update to the regulations governing the Intern and Trainee Programs has been moved off the official Regulatory Agenda as of Spring 2024, reflecting that an update is not an urgent priority for the Department.   

Regulatory status: There are currently no regulatory updates planned for the Secondary School Student Program.  

Alliance efforts: The Alliance has partnered with the Council on Standards for International Educational Travel (CSIET)’s committee on school outreach to further high school and host family recruitment efforts by engaging ECA and the Department of Education. 

Regulatory status: The Summer Work Travel Program currently has no regulatory updates on the docket but is still under a program cap and moratorium that was enacted in 2014. ECA officials have publicly indicated that they are currently considering ways to lift the cap and are committed to finding a way, but do not anticipate it will be in the coming year.  

Alliance efforts: The Alliance has actively engaged with ECA on this issue by sharing our recommendations for responsible growth and the value of lifting the cap and moratorium for the Bureau’s public diplomacy goals. Alliance Members can access additional resources used in these discussions with ECA leadership and staff here. 

Regulatory status: There are no regulatory updates for the Teacher Program on the current agenda, but the Department has indicated that it is beginning the process of considering updates to the regulations, possibly in the form of an Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) or Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM). ECA officials have publicly stated that it’s unlikely there will be a proposed or final rule in 2025.  

Alliance efforts: The Alliance facilitates a Teacher Working Group that focuses on the program’s relevant and rising issues, including potential recommendations for these future regulatory changes, while informing the Alliance’s strategy to best advance our members’ priorities in the space.