Sponsorship agency
Every student in the W&T program must have a Sponsorship Agency. A sponsorship agency is an organization that operates under State Department rules and is licensed to operate. Before you go to the United States, sponsors check the legality of the work of the employer whose job offer you are signing and whether he meets all the conditions regulated by the program to accept and cooperate with J1 students. It also checks the correctness of the accommodation in which you will stay. Provides the necessary documentation with which you go for sighting. You did not have to know this information until now because while you are in Serbia, American Adventure will mediate between you and the Sponsorship Agency. However, you will definitely need to get to know them before going to America because that is where their real role begins, which is to ensure that all your rights are respected, but also to remind you that you have obligations to the program and to the Sponsorship Agency. according to the employer and the person who rents you accommodation.
What are the obligations towards the Sponsorship Agency?
- Upon arrival in the US, the residential address should be reported to the sponsoring agency
The most important thing is to learn which documents you need to fill out and where you need to apply when entering the United States.
You must first fill out the online form I-94 and register for SEVIS no later than 72 hours after arrival in the United States.
It is very simple, you log in to your account (you will receive instructions for all of the above during the program) and enter the required information.
- Monthly Check-In. Regular communication with sponsoring agencies
As you left information when you entered the US, you also need to check in monthly through your SEVIS account on the sponsor’s website.
You need to leave all the information required of you on your account. They are mostly compiled in the form of a short questionnaire about the previous month spent in the US.
- Report departure from the US
Departure from the USA is registered in the same way via the I-94 form and via the SEVIS program. Fill out the dates of leaving the country and your obligation to sponsors ends here.
- Report to the Sponsors any change of residence in the United States
When changing the address where you reside, you are obliged to immediately enter the information of the new residence on your SEVIS account.
You have the right to change your place of residence if you are not satisfied with the original, but you are obliged to report it immediately to the sponsor, so that he can find you at any time. Information about your change of residence is also very important due to the delivery of checks and other documents during the program.
- Notify the Sponsor of any problem that you CANNOT solve. Ask for help
As mentioned above, sponsorship agencies are in charge of taking care of you since you set foot on U.S. soil and to meet you if you have any problems, obstacles, issues.
Before leaving Serbia, you get all the necessary information about your sponsor, contacts where you can get people from the agency who are in charge of you (address of the sponsor agency, e-mail, contact numbers, emergency numbers)
- Another job – extra. Be sure to notify Sponsors of another deal. Do not start work until the sponsor approves the employer
Unfortunately, many students avoid this obligation, so over time, stricter rules have been introduced regarding additional work.
You need to understand that by applying for extra work you are not losing anything. The sponsor can follow that employer and protect you if necessary, and of course the insurance covers everything related to the other employer as well as for the primary job.
The process of verifying additional work is short, you need to be patient for a maximum of a few days for the employer to be verified, and if you violate any rule and start working before approving or in the worst case not registering additional work can lead to visa waiver and termination.
Do not allow or compromise the program due to impatience.
If you do not report additional work:
– the sponsor cannot protect you in case of possible disagreements with the employer,
– you do not have health insurance, so if there is an injury at that workplace, you will have to bear the costs of treatment yourself, and the costs of the examination are extremely expensive.
– For each job you do, you pay a certain contribution tax and you are able to repay that tax when you complete the program. If you do not report all the employers you worked for, you would have problems with refunds.
Medical insurance
The sponsoring agency in cooperation with American Adventure provides you with medical insurance. Every student received all the necessary information about medical insurance by e-mail before leaving for the United States.
Important information regarding insurance:
Medical insurance lasts as long as your job offer. You are not insured during the trip after the end of the job (you have the option of paying extra insurance for the period of travel).
Insurance does not cover:
- pregnancy,
- dental interventions,
- serious illness,
- injuries that occurred before coming to the United States cannot be treated under this insurance,
- routine physical examinations and vaccinations,
- ophthalmological examination,
- preventive medical services,
- testing for sexually transmitted diseases,
- mental illness,
- self-harm,
- treatment costs if you have used alcohol or drugs.
We suggest all candidates to perform a systematic examination on their own initiative before leaving for the United States.
- If you want to travel after work, we advise you to buy additional insurance for the travel period. With our help, you can buy insurance while you are in Serbia, or during the program, contact the sponsors directly when you know the exact travel dates.
- If you have been injured at work, inform your employers immediately.
- In case of going to the doctor or possible hospital treatment, be sure to take the bill so that you can get a refund from the insurance company. They will usually ask you for information about the insurance and the insurance company at the medical institution.
- When the Agency provides you with a medical insurance brochure (in print or online), READ IT and be sure to take it with you to the United States.