Travel operator promotes seasonal work visas in US

TRAVEL operator USIT has gone on the road to promote a programme offering seasonal work visas of up to 10 months’ in the US.

Unlike the popular J1 visa, which is only available to full-time third-level students, the "H2B" visa programme is open to anyone between the ages of 18 and 40.

And, whereas the J1 visa only allowed its holders to live and work in the US for up to five months, people with a H2B visa can stay for up to 10.

However, holders must remain in the seasonal jobs that are pre-arranged before they obtain their H2B visas, and cannot look for alternative employment once in the US. If they quit, they must return home immediately, and there is just a 10-day grace period at the end of the authorised employment, meaning opportunities to travel within the US will be limited.

Typical positions available include work at hotels and theme parks in the spring and summer months and ski resorts in the winter.

The H2B is not new, and individuals here have availed of the visa over the years. But USIT regarded as the specialist in student, youth and independent travel is the first company to market it on a widespread basis and put in place a support programme for Irish people wishing to obtain a H2B.

Part of the reason the company embarked on the programme was because of a recent change to the J1 scheme which ruled out final-year students from applying.

"There was a demand for some alternative, and we looked at H2B first of all in the light of it possibly providing at least one option for people who couldn't go on J1s," said USIT spokeswoman Seona Mac Reamoinn.

"Then we realised that it would also have potential for people who would never have been eligible for the J1, or people who wanted to take a few months off."

A USIT roadshow will be in the Radisson SAS in Galway from 6.30pm tonight and the South Court Hotel in Limerick from the same time tomorrow.

USIT site at www.usit.ie.