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SUMMER W&T USA

CULTURAL EXCHANGE PROGRAM FOR STUDENTS

WHAT MAKES US SPECIAL

If a student does not get the visa we keep 0$!

The program price includes health insurance for the fifth month

Payment is possible in five installments, the last one you pay after getting the visa

Possibility to attend the world recognized course in catering SERVSAFE (www.servsafe.com)

Free English language course with native speaker!

Job fairs and live interviews with employers!

Over 100 authentic student experience videos!

What is Work and Travel program?

“Summer Work and Travel USA” program is a cultural exchange program exclusively for students. The program has been approved and supported by the American government and it enables students to work in the USA during the summer break within a period of 4 months and after that, if they want, to use the fifth month for traveling. The aim of the program is to gain great experience, improve English language, meet the culture, customs and lifestyle, as well as, to get new friends.

What do we offer?

Summer Work and Travel Program is a complex program. Therefore, it is important that you have safety and all the program segments organized.

1. Safe job – interviews with the employers 2. Meeting the representative of the sponsor companies in the USA authorized by the State Department before departure to the USA. 3. Transport to the location of the employer or accommodation 4. Organization and help with getting SSN number in the USA which you cannot work without 5. Continuous support during your stay in the USA

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Summer Work Travel

College and University students enrolled full time and pursuing studies at post-secondary accredited academic institutions located outside the United States come to the United States to share their culture and ideas with people of the United States through temporary work and travel opportunities.

Participants

Summer work travel students must be:.

• Sufficiently proficient in English to successfully interact in an English speaking environment;
• Post-secondary school students enrolled in and actively pursuing a degree or other full-time course of study at an accredited classroom based, post-secondary educational institution outside the United States;
• Have successfully completed at least one semester or equivalent of post-secondary academic study; and
• Pre-placed in a job prior to entry unless from a visa waiver country.

The Summer Work Travel program provides foreign students with an opportunity to live and work in the United States during their summer vacation from college or university to experience and to be exposed to the people and way of life in the United States.

More information

Summer work travel 2024 season program dates by country, summer work travel community support groups.

Find SWT community support groups near you

Map of Summer Work Travel Participants

View the number and locations of Summer Work Travel participants across the U.S.

Readmittance, Program Length, and Returning Home

• Readmittance: Participants can be admitted to the program more than once;
• Program Length: The maximum length of the program is four months; and
• Returning Home: Students must return to their home country prior to the start date of their university or college.

Program Exclusions

Sponsors must not place participants:

• In positions that could bring notoriety or disrepute to the Exchange Visitor Program;
• In sales positions that require participants to purchase inventory that they must sell in order to support themselves;
• In domestic help positions in private homes (e.g., child care, elder care, gardener, chauffeur);
• As pedicab or rolling chair drivers or operators;
• As operators or drivers of vehicles or vessels for which drivers’ licenses are required regardless of whether they carry passengers or not;
• In positions related to clinical care that involves patient contact;
• In any position in the adult entertainment industry (including, but not limited to jobs with escort services, adult book/video stores, and strip clubs);
• In positions requiring work hours that fall predominantly between 10:00 pm and 6:00 am;
• In positions declared hazardous to youth by the Secretary of Labor at Subpart E of 29 CFR part 570;
• In positions that require sustained physical contact with other people and/or adherence to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Universal Blood and Body Fluid Precautions guidelines (e.g., body piercing, tattooing, massage, manicure);
• In positions that are substantially commission-based and thus do not guarantee that participants will be paid minimum wage in accordance with federal and state standards;
• In positions involved in gaming and gambling that include direct participation in wagering and/or betting;
• In positions in chemical pest control, warehousing, catalogue/online order distribution centers;
• In positions with traveling fairs or itinerant concessionaires;
• In jobs that do not allow participants to work alongside U.S. citizens and interact regularly with U.S. citizens and to experience U.S. culture during the workday portion of their Summer Work Travel programs;
• With employers that fill non-seasonal or non-temporary job openings with exchange visitors with staggered vacation schedules;
• In positions that require licensing;
• In positions for which there is another specific J visa category (e.g., Camp Counselor, Trainee, Intern);
• Participants must be employees of and paid by the staffing agencies
• Staffing agencies must provide full-time, primary, on-site supervision of the participants
• Staffing agencies must effectively control the work sites, e.g., have hands-on management responsibility for the participants
• After November 1, 2012, in positions in the North American Industry Classification System’s (NAICS) Goods-Producing Industries occupational categories industry sectors 11, 21, 23, 31-33 numbers (set forth at http://www.bls.gov/iag/tgs/iag_index_naics.htm ).

Sponsors must also:

• Use extra caution when placing students in positions at employers in lines of business that are frequently associated with trafficking persons (e.g., modeling agencies, housekeeping, janitorial services);
• Consider the availability of suitable, affordable housing (e.g., that meets local codes and ordinances) and reliable, affordable, and convenient transportation to and from work when making job placements;
• Actively and immediately assist participants with arranging appropriate housing and transportation, if employers do not provide or arrange housing and/or transportation, or if participants decline employer-provided housing or transportation;
• The number of job placements available with host employers
• That host employers will not displace domestic U.S. workers at worksites where they will place program participants
• That host employers have not experienced layoffs in the past 120 days and do not have workers on lockout or on strike

Sponsors may place participants only in jobs that:

• Are seasonal or temporary;
• Provide opportunities for regular communication and interaction with U.S. citizens and allow participants to experience U.S. culture.

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Summer Work Travel Resources

Events SWT Participant Map Community Support Groups Strengthening and Reforming the SWT Program SWT Monitoring Report

Program Sponsors

Sponsors are required to:.

• A copy of the Department of State Summer Work Travel Program Brochure;
• The Department of State’s toll-free emergency hotline telephone number;
• The sponsor’s 24/7 immediate contact telephone number;
• Information advising participants of their obligation to notify their sponsor when they arrive in the United States and to provide information of any change in jobs or residence; and
• Information concerning any contractual obligations related to participants’ acceptance of paid employment in the United States, if pre-arranged.
• Ensure that participants entering the United States without prearranged employment have sufficient financial resources to support themselves during their search for employment;
• Provide such participants with information on how to seek employment and secure lodging in the United States before they depart their home countries; and
• Provide participants with a job directory that includes at least as many job listings as the number of participants in their program who are entering the United States without prearranged employment.
• Sponsors must undertake reasonable efforts to secure suitable employment for participants unable to find jobs on their own after one week;
• Sponsors must inform program participants of Federal Minimum Wage requirements and ensure that, at a minimum, participants are compensated at the prevailing local wage, which must meet the higher of either the applicable state or the Federal minimum wage requirement, including payment for overtime in accordance with state-specific employment; and
• Sponsors must maintain, at a minimum, a monthly schedule of personal contact with the program participants (in-person, by telephone or via-electronic mail), document such contact, and ensure that issues affecting the health, safety and welfare of participants are addressed immediately.

2024 Program Date Chart

2024 Program Date Chart (PDF)

• Summer Work Travel 2024 Season Program Dates by Country (PDF)

Host employers are required to:

• Provide participants the number of hours of paid employment per week as identified on the job offer and agreed to when the sponsor vetted the jobs;
• Pay those participants eligible for overtime worked in accordance with applicable state or federal law;
• Notify sponsors promptly when participants arrive at the work site and begins their programs; when there are any changes or deviations in the job placements during the participants’ programs; when participants are not meeting the requirements of job placements; or when participants leave their position ahead of their planned departure; and
• Contact sponsors immediately in the event of any emergency involving participants or any situation that impacts the health, safety or welfare of participants.

“As an employer of international kids, keep your door open and be proactive in solving their issues.” 

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Travel works for america.

February 14, 2020 By U.S. Travel Association

Celebrate travel’s contributions during National Travel and Tourism Week, May 3-9.

Travel is more than just fun—it’s an industry that has a significant impact on nearly every sector across the U.S., a role to play in policies concerning trade, security and commerce and innumerable benefits for Americans nationwide. That’s why our theme for National Travel and Tourism Week (NTTW) this year, from May 3-9, is Travel Works . Every day during this week, we will highlight a different way that this theme rings true across America.

May 3: Travel Works for America Each year, domestic and international travelers take billions of trips around the U.S. These long weekend trips to visit friends, time spent exploring our towns and cities, plans to catch a show, family beach vacations, day trips to a national park and business conferences add up to showcase the power of travel.

Use May 3 to celebrate how travel works for all of America.

May 4: Travel Works for New Adventures For many, travel is synonymous with adventure. It’s a chance to explore a new area, learn a different perspective and expand your horizons beyond the familiar. In the U.S., we’re lucky. Every pocket of our country offers a unique experience for every travel style, whether that means getting outdoors-y in our national parks, living like a local in a different town or checking out the stadium in your home team’s rival city.

Use May 4 to celebrate how travel works for new adventures.

May 5: Travel Works for American Jobs The travel industry creates jobs. Millions, in fact, across all 50 states and U.S. territories. As America’s seventh-largest employer, the travel industry directly employs nearly 9 million workers and supports a total of nearly 16 million. What’s more, travel-dependent leisure and hospitality is the largest small-business employer in the United States—and the jobs these small businesses create depend on spending by domestic and international visitors alike.

Use May 5 to celebrate how travel works for American jobs.

May 6: Travel Works for Our Economy Travel is an economic powerhouse in every city, region and state, generating trillions in economic output and delivering a significant trade surplus for the U.S. Because both international and domestic travel drive significant economic activity, it’s critical for the industry to have a seat at the table when it comes to policies concerning trade, commerce and even security.

Use May 6 to celebrate how travel works for our economy.

May 7: Travel Works for Career Development The skills cultivated working in the travel industry—dedication, confidence, leadership, communication and problem solving—are extremely valuable. A first job in travel can open doors to a lifelong career, offer flexibility to pursue education or raise a family, provide opportunities to reenter the workforce and even kickstart entrepreneurial endeavors.

Use May 7 to celebrate how travel works for career development.

May 8: Travel Works for Connecting Communities Travel contributes to community development. Travel spending delivers billions in taxes, helping local governments pay the salaries of firefighters and public school teachers and invest in community improvements such as hospitals and youth programs. But travel also helps our communities stay connected to the world and each other—our welcoming smiles and endless hospitality unite us. 

Use May 8 to celebrate how travel works for connecting communities.

May 9: Travel Works for Creating Family Memories Taking time off from your everyday routine is an opportunity to create new memories and strengthen family connections. Trips require focus: on planning, on what’s around you and on those you are with—in a word, they require being present . These are the moments that are the most rewarding: seeing the smile on your child’s face, reliving your honeymoon with your spouse or spending time with loved ones who live far away.

Use May 9 to celebrate how travel works for connecting communities.

A daily theme calendar with more details and ways to celebrate each day during NTTW will be available in our toolkit soon. Stay tuned for blog posts that delve into each of these themes over the next several weeks.

Ways to participate now:

• Encourage others to save the date for NTTW by sharing how #TravelWorks for your town or business
• Regularly check our toolkit for resources—including a forthcoming Daily Theme Calendar with ideas for how to celebrate every day of the week

We hope you join us May 3-9 to celebrate the many ways travel works for you, your family, your community and our country.

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Look forward to the experience of a lifetime! CIEE Work & Travel USA gives you a chance to live in America, immerse yourself in its culture, venture out and explore, earn money, and add work experience to your resume. It is a journey you will never forget.

A Trip to Remember Forever

There’s no doubt: this is a terrific way to spend a university break. Students who come to the United States with CIEE Work & Travel USA learn a lot – about America, about working with others, and about themselves. It’s all thanks to CIEE’s focus on cultural exchange and support. Time after time, our students tell us how we’ve helped them gain independence, maturity, and life skills that prepare them for the future. And along the way, they’ve had a great time!

When embarking on a CIEE Work & Travel USA program, students take responsibility for themselves, work, and share experiences with people across America. The employers with whom CIEE works are proud to be part of that discovery, giving our participants a head start in life.

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Working in the United States

Many noncitizens want to come to the United States to work. This page provides a summary of employment-based nonimmigrant and immigrant visa classifications and other categories of noncitizens who are eligible for employment authorization. Each classification provides a link to more detailed information on its requirements.

A common way to work temporarily in the United States as a nonimmigrant is for a prospective employer to file a petition with USCIS on your behalf. The Temporary (Nonimmigrant) Workers webpage describes the main nonimmigrant temporary worker classifications.

If you have the right combination of skills, education, and/or work experience, you may be able to live and work permanently in the United States by seeking an employment-based immigrant visa. The Permanent Workers webpage describes the five employment-based immigrant visa preferences (also called categories).

If you live outside the United States and want to work here, you generally must apply for a visa from the U.S. Department of State (DOS), unless a visa is not required for people from your country of nationality. You may visit DOS’ Travel Without a Visa page for more information.

In many cases, USCIS must approve your petition before you are eligible to apply to DOS for a visa or seek admission at a port of entry. Before entering the United States, you must present yourself to a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer and receive permission to enter the United States and engage in your proposed activity.

If you are in the United States in a lawful nonimmigrant status that does not provide employment authorization, you generally may apply for:

• A change of status to a nonimmigrant classification that provides employment authorization; or
• An adjustment of status to become a lawful permanent resident. This may be a concurrent filing with an immigrant visa petition or, depending on the circumstances, may require an applicant to obtain an approved immigrant visa before applying for an adjustment of status to become a lawful permanent resident.

Depending on the classification you seek, your change or adjustment of status application might require a U.S. employer or other qualified requestor to file an application or petition on your behalf to establish your eligibility before we approve your application. However, if you apply based on certain classifications (for example, an alien with extraordinary ability or as a nonimmigrant E-1 or E-2 principal treaty trader or investor), you may be eligible to self-petition, which means filing an application on your own behalf.

Additionally, if you are in the United States, including if you are an applicant for permanent residence or a certain family member of an alien who has lawful nonimmigrant status, you may file Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization , to request employment authorization and an Employment Authorization Document (EAD). You may also apply for an EAD that shows such authorization if your immigration status authorizes you to work in the United States without restrictions.

The conditions you must meet and how long you can work in the United States depend on the type of immigration status the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) grants. You must comply with all conditions of your employment authorization and the terms of your admission to this country. If you violate any of the conditions, you could be removed from or denied re-entry into the United States.

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Temporary Worker Visas

Visas for Members of the Foreign Media, Press, and Radio

Treaty Trader & Treaty Investor and Australians in Specialty Occupations

Visas for Canadian and Mexican USMCA Professional Workers

Domestic Renewal of H-1B Nonimmigrant Visas for Certain Applicants

A citizen of a foreign country who wishes to work in the United States must first get the right visa.  If the employment is for a fixed period, the applicant can apply for a temporary employment visa.  There are 11 temporary worker visa categories.  Most applicants for temporary worker visas must have an approved petition.  The prospective employer must file the petition on behalf of the applicant.  U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) reviews the petition. 

Temporary worker visa categories

Labor certification.

Certain visa categories need an approved labor certification. First, the prospective employer must apply for the labor certification with the Department of Labor .  Then, the prospective employer can file the Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker, Form I-129, with USCIS.  Please refer to the Instructions for Form I-129   on the USCIS website to confirm if you need  the labor certification.

Petition Approval

Some temporary worker categories are limited in the total number of petitions which can be approved on a yearly basis. Before an applicant can apply for a temporary worker visa, USCIS must first approve the Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker, Form I-129 .    For more information about the petition process, see Working in the U.S. and Temporary (Nonimmigrant) Workers on the USCIS website.  Once USCIS approves the petition, it will send the prospective employer a Notice of Action, Form I-797. 

Important Notice: Same-sex Marriage

Effective immediately, U.S. Embassies and Consulates will adjudicate visa applications that are based on a same-sex marriage in the same way that we adjudicate applications for opposite gender spouses. Please reference the specific guidance on the visa category for which you are applying for more details on documentation required for derivative spouses. For further information, please see our  FAQ’s .

How to Apply

You may apply for a visa when USCIS has approved your petition. There are several steps in the visa application process. The order of these steps and how you complete them may vary at the U.S. embassy or consulate where you apply. Please visit the embassy or consulate website for instructions on how to apply.

Complete The Online Visa ApplicationComplete The Online Visa Application

• Online Nonimmigrant Visa Application, Form DS-160 – Learn more about completing the DS-160 . You must: 1) complete the online visa application and 2) print the application form confirmation page to bring to your interview.
• Photo –You will upload your photo while completing the online Form DS-160. Your photo must be in the format explained in the Photograph Requirements .

Schedule an Interview

Applpicants of a certain age may not need to have an interview. Consular officers have the discretion to  interview any applicant, regardless of age.

You must schedule an appointment for your visa interview at any U.S. Embassy or Consulate where you live.  However, it may be difficult to qualify for a visa outside of your place of permanent residence.

Wait times for interview appointments vary by location, season, and visa category.  You should apply for your visa early.  Review the interview wait time for the location where you will apply:

Appointment Wait Time

Check the estimated wait time for a nonimmigrant visa interview appointment as a U.S. Embassy or Consulate. 

Note: Please check the individual Embassy or Consulate website to determine if your case is eligible for a waiver of the in-person interview.

Applicants scheduling visa appointments in a location different from their place of residence should check post websites for nonresident wait times.

Select a U.S. Embassy or Consulate:

You will need to provide the receipt number to schedule an interview.  The receipt number is printed on your approved Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker, Form I-129, or Notice of Action, Form I-797.

Prepare for your Interview

• Fees - Pay the non-refundable visa application fee , if you are required to pay it before your interview. When your visa is approved, you may also pay a visa issuance fee, if applicable to your nationality. Fee information is provided below:

Select your nationality to see Issuance Fee

Reciprocity Fees

Nonimmigrant visa applicants from certain countries*/areas of authority may be required to pay a visa issuance fee after their application is approved. These fees are based on the principle of reciprocity:  when a foreign government imposes fees on U.S. citizens for certain types of visas, the United States will impose a reciprocal fee on citizens of that country*/area of authority for similar types of visas. 

Check the Reciprocity Fees

• Fee payment information is available on the website of the embassy or consulate where you will apply.
• L visa applicants included in a L blanket petition : must also pay the Fraud Prevention and Detection fee and may need to pay the Border Security Act fee. Select  All Fees  to learn more.

Gather Required Documentation

Gather and prepare the following required documents before your visa interview:

• Passport  valid for at least six months beyond your period of stay in the United States (unless exempt by country-specific agreements ).  Each person included in a single passport needs a separate visa application.
• Nonimmigrant Visa Application, Form DS-160 confirmation page .
• Application fee payment receipt, if you are required to pay before your interview.
• Photo – You will upload your photo while completing the online Form DS-160. If the photo upload fails, you must bring one printed photo in the format explained in the Photograph Requirements . 
• Petition Receipt Number as it appears on your Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker, Form I-129, or Notice of Action, Form I-797.
• L Visa Applicants  included in an L blanket petition, must bring Form I-129S to the interview.

Legal Rights and Protections

H-1B, H-2A, and H-2B visa applicants should read the Legal Rights and Protections pamphlet before applying for a visa.  The pamphlet includes information on your rights in the United States and protection available to you.

Additional Documentation May Be Required

Review the instructions on how to apply for a visa on the website of the embassy or consulate where you will apply. Additional documents may be requested to establish if you are qualified.  

Most visa applicants, except H-1B and L, need to show their intent to return to their home country after their temporary stay in the United States. They can do so by showing proof of compelling ties to the home country, which may include:

• A residence abroad which you do not intend to abandon
• Your family relationships
• Your economic situation
• Your long term plans

Attend your Visa Interview

During the visa interview, a consular officer will determine if you are eligible for the visa.  The consular officer will also determine if the visa category is appropriate for your purpose of travel. You will need to establish that you meet the requirements under U.S. law to receive the category of visa for which you are applying.

Ink-free, digital fingerprint scans will be taken as part of your application process. They are usually taken during your interview, but this varies based on location.

After your visa interview, your application may need further administrative processing . A consular officer will inform you if further processing is necessary for your application.

Depending on your nationality, you may need to pay a visa issuance fee.  You must pay this fee when the visa is approved.  The embassy will explain how your passport with visa will be returned to you.  Review the visa processing time , to learn how soon your passport with visa will generally be ready for pick-up or delivery by the courier.

Entering the United States

A visa allows a foreign citizen to travel to a U.S. port-of-entry (generally an airport).  A visa also allows you to request permission to enter the United States.  A visa does not guarantee entry into the United States.  U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials at the port-of-entry have authority to permit or deny admission to the United States.  When admitted, you may get an admission stamp or  Form I-94, Arrival/Departure Record. Review the CBP website to learn more about entry requirements and customs restrictions.

Extending Your Stay

You must leave the United States on or before the date indicated on your admission stamp or Form I-94.  You can request to extend your stay by contacting USCIS.  Visit USCIS's Extend Your Stay website for more information.

Failure to leave the United States on time will result in you being out of status . Under U.S. law, visas of travelers who are out of status are automatically voided ( Section 222(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act ). If you had a multiple-entry visa and it was voided due to you being out of status, it will not be valid for future entries into the United States.

Failure to leave the United States on time may also result in you being ineligible for visas you may apply for in the future. Review Visa Denials and Ineligibilities and Waivers: Laws to learn more.

Change of Status

While in the United States, you may be able to request a change to another nonimmigrant category.  See Change My Nonimmigrant Status on the USCIS website to learn more.

Requesting a change of status does not require that you apply for a new visa, as long as you remain in status. If you cannot remain in status while USCIS processes your change of status request, you must apply for a visa at a U.S. embassy or consulate.

Additional Information

• The approval of a petition does not guarantee that you will get a visa. Do not make final travel plans or buy tickets until you have a visa.
• Spouse and Children –
• Your spouse and unmarried, minor children may also apply for the same visa category as you to accompany or join you.  The only exception is for Cultural Exchange Visitor Q-1 visa applicants.  You must be able to show that you will be able to financially support your family in the United States.
• For more information, visit USCIS’s Temporary Workers information and Employment Authorization website.
• Unless canceled or revoked, a visa is valid until its expiration date.  Therefore, a valid U.S. visa in an expired passport is still valid. If you have a valid visa in your expired passport, do not remove it from your expired passport. You may use your valid visa in your expired passport along with a new valid passport for travel and admission to the United States.

Visa Denial and Ineligibility

Review Visa Denials  for detailed information about visa ineligibilities, denials and waivers.

Visa Renewal

The same visa application process applies for first-time applicants and renewals. Please review How to Apply for more information.  Some applicants may be eligible for interview waiver.  Interview waiver allows eligible individuals to renew their visa without an in-person interview. To determine if you are eligible for interview waiver, please review the instructions on the website of the U.S. Embassy or Consulate where you will apply.

I was refused a visa under section 214(b). May I reapply?

Yes, if you feel circumstances have changed regarding your application. Review  Visa Denials  to learn more.

Misrepresentation or Fraud

Attempting to obtain a visa by the willful misrepresentation of a material fact, or fraud, may result in the permanent refusal of a visa or denial of entry into the United States. 

Review  Ineligibilities and Waivers: Laws .

Citizen of Canada and Bermuda

Citizens of Canada and Bermuda do not need visas to enter the United States as temporary workers.  These applicants do need a temporary worker petition approved by USCIS. For more information see the  U.S. Embassy Ottawa website , the  U.S. Consulate Hamilton website  and the  CBP website .

Additional resources for Canadian temporary workers to the United States can be found on the U.S. Embassy Ottawa website in Canada.

Further Questions

• Case-Specific Questions  - Contact the U.S. Embassy or Consulate handling your visa application for status information. Select  U.S. Embassy or Consulate  for contact information.
• General Questions  - review  Contact Us .

More Information

A-Z Index Legal Rights & Protections Lost/Stolen Travel Documents Denials Temporary Workers-USCIS Fraud Warning Border Security/Safety Visa Expiration Date Automatic Revalidation Nonimmigrants in the United States–Applying for Visas in Canada or Mexico Visa Applicants - State Sponsors of Terrorism Find a U.S. Embassy or Consulate Customer Service Statement

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Temporary visa to work in the U.S.

Learn about the requirements to apply for a nonimmigrant temporary worker visa and to sponsor a worker for employment in the U.S.

Find out if you qualify for a temporary worker nonimmigrant visa

Before you apply for any of these visas, your prospective employer must first file a petition with the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) on your behalf. After your employer’s petition is approved, you will be able to apply for a temporary work visa.

Find information about temporary worker visas and learn about the professions that qualify for the different classifications.

Find the description in the table that corresponds to the job you want to do in the U.S.

Select the classification number.

Read about the eligibility requirements and the application process for that visa classification. 

How to sponsor a temporary worker

To hire a temporary (nonimmigrant) worker, you generally have to file a petition with USCIS to allow the employee to come to the U.S.

• Use this temporary (nonimmigrant) worker classification table to see which classification applies to the job you are offering.
• After determining the classification, refer to the Form I-129, Petition for Nonimmigrant Worker page. It lists the classifications that require employers to submit the form to USCIS.

LAST UPDATED: December 15, 2023

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‘Walking right into the movie’: Exclusive peek at Universal Orlando’s new DreamWorks Land

We’re getting our first official look at the new DreamWorks Land coming to Universal Orlando Resort next month, in a video shared first with USA TODAY.

The new land officially opens June 14 at Universal Studios Florida. And while it will be open to all ages, it will be especially welcome among families with young children, who've missed dedicated play space in the park after Woody Woodpecker's KidZone's closing in Jan. 2023. (There are several kids areas at neighboring Universal Islands of Adventure.)

DreamWorks Land will feature a new Trolls-themed roller coaster and several interactive play areas, including a shaded space for the park’s youngest guests and multiple opportunities to get soaking wet. There will also be a live show with singing, dancing, special effects and tons of characters, as well as the chance to meet DreamWorks characters like Gabby of “ Gabby’s Dollhouse ” and characters from the “Shrek,” “Trolls” and “Kung Fu Panda” film franchises in person.

Two of the land’s creators spoke exclusively with USA TODAY in the resort’s first official interview on DreamWorks Land. Here’s what we learned from Dean Orion, who previously worked at DreamWorks and is now creative director of Universal Creative at Universal Orlando Resort, and Michael Vollman, executive vice president of Marketing at DreamWorks Animation, which is owned by Universal Pictures.

Questions and answers have been edited for length and clarity.

USA TODAY: There’s been a DreamWorks’ presence across Universal parks for a while. How did the idea for this land get dreamed up?

Orion : The former KidZone – the area that we built DreamWorks Land in – was built with the original park, so it goes back 30 years. Parks, you know, they take a lot of wear and tear. They age. The IP (intellectual property) gets a little long in the tooth, and sometimes it's time to refresh. You know very well it takes some time to develop the concepts, ideas and then go through construction, everything, so here we are.

Let's go! Details of Epic Universe’s Super Nintendo World revealed

Question : There hasn’t necessarily been a “Shrek” film in a while. “ Trolls ” and “ Kung Fu Panda ,” just had relatively recent films. How do you see the longevity of these characters and their ability to connect with guests now?

Vollman : We're very proud of our original movies and our franchises, and these are three of our best and biggest franchises. 

One of the things that’s fantastic is you know Shrek’s been around. It’s 25 years old in 2026. It’s (still) massively popular, and it’s an immersive land. It’s perfect for stuff like this, as is “Trolls” and as is “Kung Fu Panda.” And while I didn’t have a new Shrek, I did have a new “ Puss in Boots ."

There's a timelessness to these characters, but then the closeness of our relationship between DreamWorks and the parks lets us make sure that they're able to be as up to speed and cutting edge as possible. 

Question: We don't want to forget Gabby, right? Also I understand there’s an opportunity toward the front of the land where guests may be able to meet different characters, depending upon what might be newly released down the line.

Vollman: Talk about the ability to get characters from the zeitgeist into the parks. Dean and his team were fantastic. Gabby’s is a huge opportunity for us as a company. We're very proud of the show. Little kids are gonna be able to meet Gabby at a special kiosk that they put together right at the front door of the place. We're very excited about it.  Next to that is the rotating DreamWorks character place, so it'll be pretty much a constant photo opportunity.

Orion: Absolutely. Our challenge, designwise, was where do we put that because we have these three neighborhoods that each represent each one of the IPs. You don't want to stick another IP right in the middle of one of the others. We landed on this spot that's right behind the marquee, because it makes a lot of sense. There's the DreamWorks marquee, and now you can see all the characters right there and so that's where we have Gabby as well.

Question : Kids and families are used to experiencing these characters in 2-D, maybe in a character-meet-and-greet. But let’s talk about being able to be immersed in these lands and feel like they’re in these spaces.

Orion: The three-dimensional thing is quite something in all three areas, but probably the biggest and most striking example is Shrek’s cottage. When you see this structure, you're literally walking right into the movie screen. And we have the meet-and-greet where Shrek and Fiona are going to come out of the house and Donkey’s there chattering up a storm, it really is going to feel incredibly immersive.

Question : Can you tell me about the importance of having this space for families, for younger guests in this park? Not only with brands that they're familiar with on screen, but this place that’s dedicated to play in just their size.

Orion: That was a huge motivation here to create a really fun environment where kids can play freely. We've really consciously tried to put as much interactivity into the land as possible, and to really maximize the fun factor. So there are interactions that are digital. There are interactions that are physical. There are interactions with characters. There are interactions with water. There are animated figures, and there's just tons of shows. There's going to be shows with characters all day long, so it really is going to be just a great destination for families with younger people.

We actually built these huge shade mushrooms in Trolls to just create all this shade. We already had lots of trees, lots of seat walls and benches and stuff, so if Grandma and Grandpa come, they can sit and watch the kids play.

Question : How is the land made to be accessible for guests with disabilities ?

Orion : We put a lot of thought and consideration into ADA accessibility, from the way things are designed. Our entire Shrek play structure has a big ramp that anybody in a wheelchair can get all the way up. There are double handrails. There are closed-captioned glasses. There are standards that we have in the parks. Everything has to go through those requirements.

Question : Is there anything you think guests shouldn’t miss? 

Vollman: The amount of work and love and care that's gone into the DreamWorks Imagination Celebration, I think this show is going to be something really special. We've got 30 years worth of iconic music to play with, 30 years of iconic characters. You get up and dance and clap and sing and have fun. 

Orion: There's a lot of great music, and the dancers are fantastic. And there are big animated characters, There are puppets. There are effects. There are incredible media screens, and it’s in the round, so it's this really 360-degree immersive theater experience.

Question : Can you share any Easter eggs in the land?

Orion : There is a Woody Easter egg in the land, but I'm not going to say where it is. You'll have to come and find it for yourself.

In Shrek’s Swamp, you'll notice some footprints that might be from some ogres around. The outhouse gives you a nice little surprise when you go down the slide.

The interactive gong in Kung Fu Panda has a lot of surprise sounds that you might not expect. 

One last thing: When we were working with the wardrobe team to design the wardrobe for the folks who operate the whole land, the idea came up of having DreamWorks on the back of the shirts, their jackets plus the moon boy logo. One of the things that I loved about working at DreamWorks is that the employees very often refer to themselves as DreamWorkers. It's just a really cool thing most people wouldn't know because it's very internal, and so I thought what a great way to honor them, if all the folks working in the land had DreamWorker on the back of their shirt. And so I asked Mike if that would be OK, and they all loved that idea too. 

Question: How does it feel seeing all this come to life and knowing that guests are just a few weeks from experiencing the land for themselves?

Vollman : It’s like Christmas Eve, opening that present up. People are going to blown away. It's a lovely expression of three great sets of entertaining content. Having it come to life and to be able to run around inside, it's going to be joy.

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House Passes Legislation to Improve Air Travel, Sending Bill to Biden’s Desk

The bipartisan vote to reauthorize the Federal Aviation Administration also greenlit measures to strengthen consumer protections and address safety and work force issues plaguing the skies.

By Kayla Guo

Reporting from the Capitol

The House on Wednesday passed legislation to reauthorize federal aviation programs and improve air travel at a time of intense passenger woes and dysfunction in the system, sending the bill to President Biden, who was expected to sign it into law.

The House approved the bill 387 to 26, days after the Senate passed it on a vote of 88 to 4.

The measure provides more than $105 billion to the Federal Aviation Administration and another $738 million to the National Transportation Safety Board for safety programs, airport modernization and infrastructure projects, technology upgrades and next-generation aviation systems. It also supports the hiring and training of air traffic controllers, codifies airlines’ refund obligations to passengers, restricts seating fees for families with children, strengthens protections for passengers with disabilities, bolsters aviation work force development programs and protects access to air travel at rural airports.

“For over a century, the United States has led the world in aviation safety and innovation, and this bill is critical to ensuring America remains the global leader in aviation,” Representative Sam Graves, Republican of Missouri and chairman of the Transportation Committee, said in a statement after the vote. “It’s vital to our economy, to millions of American jobs and to the millions of passengers that depend on our National Airspace System every single day.”

The final package, which lawmakers heralded as a timely and necessary investment in the nation’s aviation system and a win for consumers, was the product of months of negotiations between the House and Senate committees with jurisdiction over federal aviation programs. It was approved after Congress had repeatedly passed short-term extensions, blowing through several deadlines during a tumultuous period in the skies that included a spate of runway near collisions , plane malfunctions and flight disruptions.

Representative Rick Larsen of Washington, the top Democrat on the Transportation panel, said the legislation “will create a safer, cleaner, greener and more accessible aviation system here in the U.S.”

In a statement, he highlighted the measure’s safety and infrastructure improvements, the addition of well-paying aviation jobs, policies for putting forward new aviation technologies and “robust protections for airline customers.”

Among the consumer protections in the roughly 1,000-page bill is a provision codifying a new rule announced by the Transportation Department that requires airlines to “automatically” issue passengers full refunds when a flight is canceled, delayed or significantly changed. It also imposes a standard requiring that any travel credits airlines provide in lieu of refunds be viable for at least five years, and it seeks to ensure that families can sit together on flights without being charged additional fees.

The package also aims to address safety and work force challenges that have dogged the aviation system. It requires the F.A.A. to supercharge the hiring and training of air traffic controllers to help bolster a work force pushed to the brink . It directs the agency to increase the deployment of safety technologies to help stem runway near collisions. And it mandates cockpit voice recordings be preserved for 25 hours, up from two hours, to better support investigations into future safety incidents.

Lawmakers, led by Senator Tammy Duckworth, a former Army helicopter pilot who uses a wheelchair after an attack by Iraqi insurgents took her legs, inserted measures aimed at improving air travel for passengers with disabilities. The bill requires the F.A.A. to re-evaluate evacuation procedures on planes to account for passengers with disabilities and older fliers; mandates training for airport workers on handling wheelchairs; and strengthens enforcement mechanisms to ensure planes are accessible to people with disabilities.

“This F.A.A. reauthorization is a true bipartisan win for our entire economy as well as a landmark improvement for aviation safety that will benefit the flying public and consumers across this country,” Ms. Duckworth, an Illinois Democrat, said in a statement last week after the Senate passed the bill.

She called the legislation the “most significant effort by Congress in over a decade to make flying safer, easier and more accessible for passengers with disabilities.”

A number of policy disputes and regional battles slowed approval of the bill. Considered one of the last must-pass items in this Congress, the measure had become a magnet for dozens of other policy initiatives that threatened to muck up its path to passage. But those were dispensed with in the Senate last week.

The legislation prompted a bitter regional fight over a provision that will add five new long-distance round-trip flights out of Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport outside Washington, D.C., something that Delta Air Lines and members of Congress who rely heavily on the airport had long clamored for.

The four senators from Maryland and Virginia sought to strike that change, arguing that the airport maintains the nation’s busiest runway and could not support additional flights.

They were the only votes against the bill in the Senate, after Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, the top Republican on the Commerce Committee, blocked a vote on their proposal to give the transportation secretary final say on adding the new flights based on a safety and consumer experience evaluation.

The House, which passed its version of the bill last summer, had narrowly rejected a bipartisan proposal to add seven round-trip flights to Reagan National. On Wednesday, several Washington-area lawmakers voted against the bill in protest of the addition of the five round-trip flights.

“We should not accept a backroom deal between senators just to reflect special interests,” Representative Donald S. Beyer, Democrat of Virginia, said on the House floor before the vote. “It’s painful that this measure is still in the bill despite widespread bipartisan opposition. I cannot support a bill that hurts my constituents, disrespects all the elected leaders from Virginia, Maryland, and D.C. and directly harms our airport and the passengers who use it.”

The bill held the mandatory pilot retirement age at 65 after a clash over whether to raise it to 67. Proponents argued that doing so would ease a strained pilot work force. But opponents in both parties said it would not fill gaps in the work force, and would instead lead to a constellation of logistical, legal and safety concerns , as pilots older than 65 are generally barred from flying internationally.

After a fight over changing a rule that dictates the type and amount of flight time pilots must accrue to fly commercially, Congress also rejected attempts to count more hours of simulated flight time toward the 1,500-hour requirement and maintained the existing standards, which were imposed after a plane crashed near Buffalo in 2009 , killing everyone aboard.

Kayla Guo covers Congress for The New York Times as the 2023-24 reporting fellow based in Washington. More about Kayla Guo

Our Coverage of Congress

Here’s the latest news and analysis from capitol hill..

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Reversing Israel Arms Pause: The House passed a bill that would rebuke President Biden  for pausing an arms shipment to Israel and compel his administration to quickly deliver those weapons, in a largely symbolic vote engineered by the G.O.P.

Aviation Bill: The House passed legislation to reauthorize federal aviation programs  and improve air travel  at a time of intense passenger woes and dysfunction in the system, sending the bill to President Biden.

Addressing A.I.: A bipartisan group of senators released a long-awaited legislative plan for A.I. , calling for billions in funding to propel American leadership in the technology while offering few details on regulations.

A White-Collar Indictment: Representative Henry Cuellar started from humble origins, but records show he welcomed the trappings of power afforded by his position. Here’s how an indictment shattered his blue-collar image .

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TSA is prepared for busiest summer travel season ever

WASHINGTON — The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is prepared for the highest passenger volumes the agency has seen at airport security checkpoints nationwide during this summer’s travel season, which begins Memorial Day weekend and runs through Labor Day. TSA forecasts Friday, May 24, to be the busiest travel day of the long Memorial Day weekend, anticipating nearly three million passengers. From May 23 to May 29, the agency expects to screen more than 18 million passengers and crew, representing a checkpoint volume increase of approximately 6.4% compared to the same period in 2023.

“In close coordination with airport, airline and travel partners, we are more than ready to handle this summer’s increased travel volumes,” said TSA Administrator David Pekoske. “We are also continuing to deploy state-of-the-art checkpoint technology that increases security effectiveness, efficiency and enhances the passenger experience and our retention and recruitment numbers are the highest they’ve ever been.”

TSA is continuing to modernize airport security checkpoints across the country with a focus on enhanced detection methods to best secure the aviation system. This summer, airline passengers can expect to encounter some of those latest checkpoint technologies and recommends several important travel tips. These include:

Tip 1: Be aware of new checkpoint technology and follow TSA guidance. TSA is using the second generation of Credential Authentication Technology (CAT-2), which features the same capabilities as the CAT, confirming the authenticity of a passenger’s identification credentials with their acceptable photo identification credential along with their flight details and pre-screening status, but with an added camera feature. The passenger may voluntarily agree to have a real-time photo taken of them to verify their identity using their TSA-acceptable identification credential. The facial recognition technology TSA utilizes helps ensure the person standing at the checkpoint is the same person pictured on their ID. Keep your boarding pass tucked away. Photos are not stored or saved after a positive ID match has been made, except in a limited testing environment for evaluation of the effectiveness of the technology. Passengers who do not want their photo taken may ask the Transportation Security Officer (TSO) for a manual ID check without penalty and losing their place in line. For more information on how TSA is using facial recognition technology, see TSA’s Privacy Impact Assessments , Fact Sheet and biometrics technology webpage s.

Several airports have installed Computed Tomography (CT) units. These units significantly improve scanning and threat detection capabilities for carry-on bags. CT units give TSOs the ability to review a 3D image of passengers’ bags and reduce the need to physically search the contents of the bag. Passengers screened in security lanes with CT units do not need to remove their 3-1-1 liquids or laptops, but they must place every carry-on item, including bags, into a bin for screening. Passengers are also reminded to bring at maximum one carry-on bag and one personal item through security screening.

To date, TSA has deployed 2,050 CAT units to 223 airports. Among those, 238 CAT units represent the second generation (CAT-2) technology and are located in 84 airports nationwide. Additionally, TSA has deployed more than 820 CT units to more than 240 airports nationwide.

Screening protocols may vary from airport to airport depending on available technology and the current threat environment, so it is important for passengers to follow the TSO’s directions.

Tip 2: Do you carry a firearm? Prepare, pack and declare. Firearms are prohibited at security checkpoints, in the secure area of an airport and in the passenger cabin of an aircraft, even if a passenger has a concealed carry permit or is in a constitutional carry jurisdiction. Passengers may travel with a firearm , but it must be secured in the passenger’s checked baggage; packed unloaded; locked in a hard-sided case; and declared to the airline when checking in at the airline ticket counter.

TSA does not confiscate or seize firearms. If a passenger brings a firearm to the security checkpoint on their person or in their carry-on luggage, the TSO will contact local law enforcement to safely unload and take possession of the firearm. Law enforcement may also arrest or cite the passenger, depending on local law. TSA may impose a civil penalty up to almost $15,000, and for the first offense, passengers who bring a firearm to a security checkpoint will lose TSA PreCheck ® eligibility for five years. Second violations will result in permanent disqualification from the program and additional civil penalties.

Tip 3: Pack an empty bag, know before you go, and remember the 3-1-1 rule. When airline passengers begin packing for travel with an empty bag, they are less likely to be stopped at the security checkpoint for having prohibited items. Prior to packing that empty bag, check TSA’s “What Can I Bring?” tool to know what is prohibited. If you’re heading to the beach, you may wonder how to pack your sunscreen. Any liquids, sunscreen containers and alcohol over 3.4 ounces must be packed in a checked bag. Liquids, aerosols, gels, creams and pastes are allowed in carry-on bags as long as each item is 3.4 ounces or less and placed in one quart-sized bag. Each passenger is limited to one quart-size bag of liquids, aerosols, gels, creams and pastes.

Tip 4: Make sure you have a REAL ID or another acceptable ID. Adult passengers 18 years and older must show valid ID credentials at the airport checkpoint in order to travel. Beginning May 7, 2025, if you plan to use your state-issued ID or driver’s license to fly within the U.S., make sure you have a REAL ID or another acceptable form of ID. If you are not sure if you have a REAL ID, check with your state department of motor vehicles. For questions on acceptable IDs, go to TSA.gov.

Tip 5: TSA PreCheck ® members: Make sure your Known Traveler Number (KTN) is in your reservation. With nearly 20 million TSA PreCheck members, it is essential that airline reservations have the passenger’s correct KTN, full name and date of birth so they can truly “Travel with Ease.” Those who fly with multiple airlines should ensure their KTN is updated in each of their airline profiles every time they travel. TSA PreCheck passengers are low-risk travelers who do not need to remove shoes, belts, 3-1-1 liquids, food, laptops and light jackets at the TSA checkpoint. TSA’s wait time standards for TSA PreCheck lanes are under 10 minutes and under 30 minutes for standard lanes. 

If you are not yet enrolled in TSA PreCheck and appreciate faster passenger checkpoint screening, we encourage you to enroll with one of TSA’s enrollment providers starting at $77.95 for a five-year membership. Most new enrollees receive their KTN within three to five days. Members may renew membership online up to six months prior to expiration for another five-year term starting at $68.95. Visit TSA PreCheck at www.tsa.gov/precheck for more information about enrolling or renewing in TSA PreCheck and to find enrollment locations and pricing information for all TSA PreCheck enrollment providers.

Tip 6: Give yourself plenty of time. Summer travel will be busy, so plan ahead! Give yourself plenty of time to park or return a rental car, take a shuttle to the airport if needed, check in with your airline and drop your bags and prepare for the security checkpoint. Save time by removing items from pockets and placing them in your carry-on bag, instead of putting items directly into bins at the conveyor belt.

Tip 7: Respect TSA and other frontline airport and airline employees. Violence and unruly behavior in the transportation system are not acceptable and result in significant delays at traveler checkpoints. TSOs, along with all frontline airport and airline employees and local law enforcement, are working together to ensure safe and secure travel. Assaulting a TSA employee is a federal offense and will result in penalties and/or arrest.

Tip 8: Contact TSA with questions, compliments, complaints or assistance. Contact TSA by sending a text directly to 275-872 (“AskTSA”) on any mobile device or over social media by sending a message to @AskTSA on X or Facebook Messenger. An automated virtual assistant is available 24/7 to answer commonly asked questions, and AskTSA staff are available 365 days a year from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET for more complicated questions. Travelers may also reach the TSA Contact Center at 866-289-9673. An automated service is available 24/7. Passengers who need additional assistance through security screening may request a TSA Passenger Support Specialist (PSS). A PSS is a TSO who has received specialized training, including how to effectively assist and communicate with individuals with disabilities, medical conditions or those who need additional screening assistance. Individuals should request passenger assistance at least 72 hours in advance by contacting our TSA Cares passenger support line at (855) 787-2227. Live assistance for both the TCC and TSA Cares is available weekdays, 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. ET, or weekends and holidays from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET.

TSA encourages all passengers to remain vigilant. If You See Something. Say Something ® . Those traveling abroad for the summer should check the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Know Before You Go page to learn about required documentation. For those traveling with children this summer, TSA offers kid-friendly videos for children packing for their upcoming trip.

For additional information about changes to air travel please see the Department of Transportation’s recent announcement .

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Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Commissioner Troy Miller addresses 2024 Trade Summit

CBP Senior Official Performing the Duties of Commissioner Troy A. Miller delivered the following remarks at the 2024 Trade Facilitation and Cargo Security Summit in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Good morning. How's everyone doing? It's great to be here with such a distinguished group of individuals as we all work together on our shared mission. As Susan stated, CBP and our partners are closely monitoring the collision of a shipping vessel at the Francis Scott Key Bridge. Most importantly, our hearts go out to the families of those involved and to the teams engaged in the search and rescue efforts.

It's great to be here again this year for our Trade Facilitation and Cargo Security Summit. It was great to be in Boston last year for our first in-person event for a couple of years, and to see 1200 folks in this room today is frankly awesome. I see many familiar faces and I appreciate that you are here in person and virtually to engage with us on these key issues.

CBP remains committed to our partnership with you, and the broader trade community. The Summit is an excellent opportunity for us to provide you with critical updates on our efforts, explore areas of shared interest, and hear from you on your priorities.

Thank you for sharing your expertise and experience over the next few days, and my thanks as well to our colleagues who made this important event possible. It truly is a yearlong event to put this on and the team did a great job. So, let's give them a round of applause.

For 21 years now, and a couple of hundred years before that, CBP and U.S. Customs Service have worked to facilitate legitimate trade and protect the U.S. economy while enforcing our laws, safeguarding consumer health and safety, and ensuring our national security. The past two decades have shown how integral our mission is to ensure a level playing field for American businesses.

The work the men and women of CBP perform on a daily basis makes an enormous impact on a variety of fronts. We recently launched the Green Trade Incentives Analysis, a comprehensive research initiative, to identify meaningful incentives to minimize environmental harms and maximize the environmental benefits of trade.

On the intellectual property front, in fiscal year 2023, CBP seized 19,522 shipments, containing nearly 23 million items in violation of intellectual property rights. The total estimated manufacturer’s suggested retail price of the seized goods, had they been genuine, is nearly $2.5 billion dollars.

In terms of forced labor, CBP's aggressive enforcement actions over the last four years have improved the working and living conditions for thousands of workers around the world. This enforcement has resulted in the repayment of over $62 million in withheld wages and recruitment fees to workers trapped in debt bondage. We are also seeing companies adjust their supply chains and enhance their due diligence. That is your impact. Partnerships protecting the security, health, and economic vitality of the American people requires intense work and collaboration with everyone in this room.

Our partnerships make us stronger, more adaptable, and better prepared to meet the challenges of today and tomorrow. The Customs Trade Partnership Against Terrorism is a prime example. For over 20 years, the CTPAT program has been at the forefront of robust public private partnerships to secure all of our supply chains. The program continues to play an integral part in our multi-layered cargo enforcement strategy, enabling CBP to prioritize the facilitation of secure and compliant trade.

CTPAT is actively collaborating with our 10,000 plus partners to develop a cohesive, consistent, and innovative plan that will modernize the program and ensure its continued effectiveness and stability into the future.

One of the major outcomes of partnership is our focus on innovation together. The trade environment is constantly evolving and expanding. At the same time, we are continuously seeking to leverage technology to become more efficient and effective in our mission.

In fiscal year 2023, CBP processed over $5 trillion in combined imports and exports. We also collected more than $92 billion in duties, taxes, and other fees on behalf of the U.S. government. Investing in technology innovation can help us manage these increases. We need to continue moving forward with our modernization efforts of the Automated Commercial Environment to ACE 2.0.

For example, in 2023, we successfully tested technology and standards that assisted with origin compliance and product indemnification in the steel industry and for affirming preferential treatment under free trade agreements for oil transported by pipelines. In 2024, we will expand our tests into the areas of e-commerce, food safety and natural gas. But we need authorization, funding, and collaboration with industry and our interagency partners to really make an impact.

We are also investing in non-intrusive inspection technology, which is a force multiplier. NII systems allow officers to detect anomalies and conveyances and identify contraband and illicit goods more quickly-- eight minutes compared to two hours for a physical inspection, which saves everyone time. This time savings also translates to cost savings. CBP is saving an estimated $1 billion in annual operating costs, and the trade industry will save billions through improved efficiency and reduced delays.

You should already be experiencing the facilitation impacts, even as we improve our enforcement capabilities. In fiscal year 2023, CBP officers utilized large-scale NII to conduct more than 9.4 million exams and resulted in over a thousand seizures. These seizures included more than 50,000 kilograms of drugs and $2.5 million in undeclared U.S. currency.

The small package environment skyrocketed in fiscal year 2023, as you all know in this room, with over one billion packages claiming de minimis preferences in the United States. Currently, CBP processes approximately 4 million de minimis shipments per day, up from 2.8 million this time last year. This poses significant challenges for all of us as bad actors exploit this explosion in volume to traffic illicit goods.

Bad things do come in small packages. The threats in de minimis are real and pose significant risks to the American people and economy. Eighty-five percent of all seizures made for health and safety violations were in the de minimis environment. These packages contain dangerous materials that can cause serious harm, like counterfeit pharmaceuticals, counterfeit batteries and electronics, illicit narcotics, and even the precursor chemicals and materials like pill presses and die molds used to manufacture fentanyl and synthetic drugs that are killing Americans.

The trafficking of fentanyl and other synthetic drugs is particularly problematic. Fentanyl is one of the gravest challenges we face now—frankly, that we have ever faced. Combating the influx of these synthetic drugs remains and will continue to be a top priority for CBP. However, the fight against fentanyl and other synthetic drugs is complex.

I know we've told you, but this year again we're showing you with our “Threats to Law Enforcement in De Minimis” exhibit just how dangerous small packages can be. I encourage you to stop by and speak with our officers to learn more about the threats we are seeing.

Through our De Minimis Task Force, we're focusing on “acting now” with respect to de minimis enforcement—from policy and communications to operations and automation. We are prioritizing and operationalizing many of the recommendations made by the Commercial Customs Operations Advisory Committee’s De Minimis Working Group.

CBP is taking significant steps to address the influx of fentanyl and other synthetic drugs. The data we receive for most of de minimis shipments today, including advanced data, is limited and can sometimes be vague and inaccurate. We continue to work with DHS to move our 21st Century Customs Framework statutory package through the interagency review process. At the same time, we are working with Treasury to ensure that our de minimis regulatory package enters interagency review.

Both packages will provide CBP with better insight into what a de minimis shipment is, improve data quality, and allow for more information sharing with you, our trade partners. Later this morning, you are going to hear more about what we and some of our partner agencies are doing in the de minimis space and what we have planned for the future.

CBP can't fix de minimis alone. We all have a shared responsibility in securing the supply chain. We need your support.

Over the past several months, stakeholders have raised concerns regarding the impact of de minimis on the textile and apparel industries, which is threatening industry domestically as well as in Mexico and Central America. Concerns have also been raised about trade cheats violating the rules of our free trade agreements and the potential for cotton tainted by forced labor to enter our country through de minimis.

We are taking these issues very seriously and we are interested in your feedback and your ideas. We are committed to ensuring that textile and apparel importers fully comply with applicable laws, regulations, quotas, free trade agreements and other preference programs to promote a fair and level playing field for the U.S. industry.

We also know how important industry is to our partners in Central America and Mexico, so we are working to ensure that bad actors do not sap the vitality of this critical industry corridor and impede the flow of legitimate goods.

As you may be aware, Secretary Mayorkas recently asked CBP, Homeland Security Investigations, and other DHS components to develop a comprehensive plan to intensify enforcement. We look forward to sharing more information soon.

In the meantime, we are ramping up our enforcement efforts. For example, in February, we conducted a Textile Production Verification Team mission in Mexico, visiting 31 factories. Cheating undermines the hard work that many of you in this room do every day. You wouldn't be here if you weren't serious about compliance, and we want to make sure you have an even playing field as well.

Finally, we are increasing our focus on supply chain traceability combined with facilitation. Today we are announcing that CBP is partnering with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, FDA, to expand focus of the Global Business Identifier or GBI test. CBP will work jointly with the FDA to explore how identifiers could be leveraged to enable coordination and harmonized decision-making across the U.S. government. This could enhance predictability, lower costs, and create the opportunity for additional facilitation benefits for compliant trade.

We have already taken steps to expand the scope of the GBI test. In February, we issued a federal register notice relaying modifications intended to promote participation, including extending the test for three more years and removing commodity and country of origin limitations on the types of entries permitted to be evaluated under the test.

I encourage our trade partners to participate in this test and voluntarily transmit your GBI data with your entry filings. Your feedback will help inform the ongoing evaluation of the GBI test, including potential benefits for filers.

Later today, there will be a panel that discusses how CBP is working to facilitate supply chain traceability using identifiers, the expanded scope of the GBI test, and opportunities for participation. 

As you can see, there's a lot going on within CBP's trade mission. In the 21 years since CBP was formed, the trade landscape has changed and evolved exponentially. We all need to adapt to these changes. Within CBP, we are constantly looking at our processes and how we can make them better. I think this is important for everyone here—whether government agencies or industry partners.

I would ask everyone involved in the trade community to continue taking a similar look at your operations and processes. Your presence at this Summit shows that you have already made a commitment to focus on compliance and prioritize the safety and security of the United States. What more can we do together? I encourage you to take advantage of the next few days to learn from each other and build new relationships. I look forward to meeting and hearing from many of you and again, thank you all for being here and taking part in this important Summit. Have a great time.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is America's frontline: the nation's largest law enforcement organization and the world's first unified border management agency. The 65,000+ men and women of CBP protect America on the ground, in the air, and on the seas. We facilitate safe, lawful travel and trade and ensure our country's economic prosperity. We enhance the nation's security through innovation, intelligence, collaboration, and trust.

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