Second Job on Summer Work and Travel: Vetting Rules and What to Do First

A second job is allowed on the program. The approval comes from your sponsor, and it has to come first. See the jobs hub for the rest of your work rules.

The short version

1. Wait for your sponsor to approve a second job before you start it.
2. Ask your sponsor to vet a job you find after arriving within 72 hours.
3. Check that the second job is an allowed kind of work.
4. Tell your sponsor within ten days if the new job changes where you live.

The rule for additional jobs

22 CFR 62.32 names three kinds of job: initial, replacement and additional. Participants may not begin working at any of them until the sponsor has verified the terms and conditions of the work and fully vetted the host employer. Sponsors must confirm each placement before work starts.

A second job you line up after you land has a clock on it. Once you are in the US and have identified an initial, replacement or additional job, the sponsor must vet it within 72 hours.

The second job also has to be an allowed kind of work. A job with its own J visa category, such as Camp Counselor, Trainee or Intern, is excluded. Check the prohibited jobs list before you apply.

Employer conditions apply to the second employer as well. It must not have had layoffs in the past 120 days, must not have workers on lockout or on strike, and must not displace domestic US workers at the worksite. Pay must meet at least the higher of the federal, state or local minimum wage, including overtime, or the comparable-pay alternative in the rule. The job vetting page explains what the sponsor checks.

Steps to get a second job approved

Each sponsor sets its own procedure. These are the steps in a CICD blog post dated March 2, 2019, and they apply to CICD participants only.

1. Do not start yet. You must let CICD finish its host company review first.
2. Tell CICD the second job’s company and the hiring manager’s name.
3. Your new employer completes CICD’s Employment Verification form.
4. CICD obtains the employer’s business license and workers’ compensation insurance and holds a 15 minute phone interview with the hiring manager.
5. Wait for the authorization email before you start.

An authorization can take as little as a couple of hours at CICD if the employer is prepared and available. If you are with a different sponsor, ask it for its form and its timeline.

Starting early is the risk. Sponsors must tell participants that they will terminate the programs of those who fail to comply with the listed program regulations. At CICD, starting a second job without its authorization can get you dismissed from the program.

If the second job changes where you live

A new employer can mean a new address. Participants must notify their sponsor within ten days after they initially secure or change residences. Employers must also notify the sponsor promptly when participants arrive at the work site to begin. Your sponsor then reports address changes in SEVIS within ten business days of being told.

Housing and transport are part of the review of any job, including a second one. The sponsor must consider suitable, affordable housing and reliable, affordable transport to and from work when it confirms a placement. If the employer provides neither, the sponsor must actively and immediately help you arrange them. Ask about both before you accept, and read 22 CFR 62.10 for what sponsors must report.

How a second job fits your four months

The program lasts up to four months, and extensions are not permitted. The State Department puts the maximum length of the program at four months. The hours matter too. Employers must make good-faith efforts to provide the paid weekly hours stated on the job offer. For minimum wage and overtime in each job, read pay and wages.