About the BridgeUSA Leadership Development Program
The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA/EC) is funding the BridgeUSA Leadership Development Program. CIEE will conduct a leadership enrichment program for selected BridgeUSA exchange program participants with an active status.
Each of the eight seminars will include a cultural immersion tour of national monuments and U.S. historical sites in Washington, DC, that reflect on American historical democratic institutions, leadership themes and values. A leadership curriculum will be an integral part of the program and directly complement the participants’ U.S.-based exchange, reinforce collaborative activities, and support peer learning.
On the final day exchange visitors will present their action plans to address problems they identify in their home communities. Their action plans will be based upon knowledge gained during the 3-day facilitated training portion of the seminar. Following the conclusion of the U.S.-based portion of the program, EVs may compete for small grants to assist them in implementing their action plans in their local communities. Terms & Conditions to apply.
ECA/EC provides countless opportunities for international candidates looking to travel and gain experience in the United States. The multifaceted programs enable foreign nationals to come to the United States to teach, study, conduct research, demonstrate special skills or receive on the job training for periods ranging from a few weeks to several years.
ECA/EC’s mission –to increase mutual understanding between Americans and people of other countries –remains vital to U.S. national security and building people-to-people connections around the world.
Through the BridgeUSA Leadership Development Program, ECA/EC aims to:
Promote mutual understanding and lasting partnerships between emerging leaders from foreign countries and the United States.
Provide opportunities for BridgeUSA participants in active SEVIS status to collaborate and share ideas, approaches, and strategies to develop solutions to pressing local and global challenges.
Increase Americans’ global competitiveness through new and expanded partnerships with alumni professionals from around the world.
Create resilient communities and address disinformation by supporting civil society, open transparent institutions, global health, climate change, diversity and inclusion, and human rights.
Build a global network of like-minded professionals committed to creating positive change in their workplaces and communities.
Two-Year Home Residency Requirement
Exchange Visitors who participate in programs financed in whole or in part by an agency of the U.S. Government are expected to return to their home countries to utilize the experience and skills they have acquired while in the United States after completing their program and are subject to a two-year home residency requirement (section 212(e) of the Immigration and Naturalization Act). Under the terms of this requirement, they must reside in their home country physically for two years - cumulative, not successive - before they may become eligible to apply for an immigrant/residence or temporary worker (H-1) visa. Eligibility for ‘F’ (student), J-1, tourist, or other type of non-immigrant visa to the U.S. are not impacted by the two-year requirement and obtaining such visas is always at the discretion of U.S. Embassy or consulate where application is made. For additional information about waivers of the exchange visitor two-year home-country physical presence requirement, visit the Department of State website at https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/study/exchange/waiver-of-the-exchange-visitor.html
