The regulations governing the J1 camp counselor program currently limits the number of participants who can return on the program more than 2 years to 10% of total program participants.  We refer to these qualifying counselors as “ten-percenters.”

We know that returning counselors can be extremely important to camp programs. They add consistency to the camp program, and they provide mentorship and leadership to the staff and campers each summer.   We very often receive more applications for these “ten-percenters” than we can sponsor and as a result, we have to have an application process and cost structure that is fair to all camp employers and participants.

Although we outline here the application and approval process, costs and deadlines

Application and Approval Process:

  1. Camps will automatically be approved 1 ten-percenter for each 10 counselors sponsored. The sponsorship costs for a ten-percenter under these terms will remain the same as any other direct hire or returning counselors.
  2. Camps requesting sponsorship of a ten-percenter, who do not qualify for automatic approval and sponsorship discount, will be subject to a higher sponsorship premium and will be approved based on the following considerations:
    • Total number of other counselors sponsored.
    • Date of request for sponsorship of a ten-percenter.
    • Date of deposit to hold sponsorship allocation.
    • Date of completed camp profile.
    • Date of participant completed application.

Program Costs:

A non-refundable deposit of $200 is required to hold a ten-percenter’s visa allocation.

Where a camp qualifies for automatic approval, the camp profile and participant application are fully completed by February 1st, the $200 deposit will be attributed towards sponsorship fees.

Deadlines:

 

Program costs: