AFS Head of the Lakes Area

	Welcome to AFS Head of the Lakes Area Serving Northeastern Minnesota and Northwestern Wisconsin
Home Page AFS Head of Lakes Emergency Contact Information Calendar of Events Hosting a Student Going Abroad Local Area / School Links Student Travel Guidelines Leadership Team Volunteer with AFS Fun and Helpful Tips Photo Album	AFS STUDENT TRAVEL AFS USA realizes that while we are not a travel organization, opportunities will arise for a hosted student to travel outside their host community. AFS USA has set up guidelines for this type of travel to ensure participant safety and also maintain the integrity of the AFS programs. If an AFS participant travels without complying with the AFS USA travel guidelines, the action can be considered grounds for an early return to the home country. Approved Travel The following types of travel are approved by AFS USA and do not need a travel waiver: Travel with the host family. Travel with host siblings (and not host parents) is allowed if the host sibling is over 25, or over 21 with Area Team approval. Travel with school, such as sporting events and field trips Travel on an AFS sponsored trip (organized by Area Team or local Chapter) Note: If a school trip is out of state or if host family travel is out of the country, the natural family may be asked to submit a permission form. For the approved travel listed above, notify appropriate AFS volunteer of travel plans and give the volunteer accurate contact info on how the student can be reached in case of emergency. Other Travel Any other travel (for example, visiting another AFSer or traveling with a friend's family) is considered independent travel by AFS and requires a signed travel waiver from the natural family. The travel waiver acts as a permission form from the natural family and releases AFS from liability during the AFSer's trip. Steps for Approval of Other Travel: 1. Get permission from the host family. If host family says "No," the travel plans should go no further. If "Yes," then go to step 2. 2. Get permission from the appropriate AFS volunteer. Some areas require approval at the Area Team level, others allow local volunteers or liaisons to give permission for independent travel. Talk to your Area Team to find out who has the right to approve travel requests. If the volunteer says "No," the travel plans should go no further. If "Yes," then go to step 3. 3. A travel waiver should be requested by the natural family through AFS in the home country. The signed waiver will then be sent to the AFS regional office. Local area volunteers should email the Regional Travel / Logistics coordinators to alert them to student's independent travel plans and whether they are approved by the host family and volunteers. 4. The AFS regional office will review the travel waiver requests and reserves the right to deny permission for independent travel at any point in this timeline. 5. Once the permissions are obtained and the signed travel waiver is received by the regional AFS office, the Area Team volunteer will be emailed with notification of the arrival of the signed Travel Waiver. At this point, travel is officially approved by AFS. 6. Once travel is officially approved, students are free to finalize their plans and purchase their tickets. Special Notes for Travel Out of the USA There are times where an AFS student will have the opportunity to travel outside of the USA. For this travel, a permission form would be sent to the natural family for signature. Also, the following steps must be taken. 1. Contact the consulate for the destination country to determine if the AFS student will need a visa. Do this early as some consulates require students to show up in person to get the visa. 2. The DS-2019 form must be sent to the AFS regional office to be signed. This signature is to verify to immigration that the AFS student is in good standing and the J-1 visa sponsored by AFS is still valid. This form should be sent to the regional office either by registered mail or FedEx (something with a tracking number). How to travel with an AFS student to Canada or Mexico 1. A local volunteer should be notified of the travel and approve it, either in writing or verbally, and the local volunteer also needs the itinerary in order to be able to find this student in case of emergency. AFS has very clear, and somewhat restrictive, travel policies. Your local AFS volunteers will be able to help you know if you’ve got everything in order. 2. Does student have a Multiple Entry Visa? Look in Passport, usually on the page with the picture. Under “Entries,” there should be an “M.” Without this “M,” the student potentially cannot get back into the U.S. To get a multiple entry visa would require them talking with their consulate to see what has to be done. AFS has nothing to do with this. 3. Is your student from a country that requires not only a passport but also a visa from Canada or Mexico? For Canada, go to this web site to find out countries that do or do not need a special visa: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/visit/visas.html If the student needs a visa, follow the Canadian process (it will take some time and $100+ dollars). Plan ahead on this one. For Mexico, go to The Consulate General of Mexico http://www.consulmexny.org/eng/visas_fmt.htm and find the country of origin to see if you need visas along with the passport. Plan ahead on this one, too. 4. Natural parent(s) need to request a travel form from their local AFS (Affidavit of Child), sign it and return it to their local AFS, who will mail or fax it to AFS Central States, 2356 University Ave. W., Suite 424, St. Paul, MN 55114, or fax it to the same address at fax # 651-647-6628. This says that the natural parents approve of the stated travel. Click here to download an Affidavit of Child that can be used for travel outside of the US. Click here to download a Travel Authorization form that some families have used to grant authorization for a longer time period to a host family who makes frequent trips across the border. 5. The form (DS2019), that should be with the student's passport, needs to be mailed to Barbara Telser-Gadow at the above listed AFS Central States address with the dates of travel (your itinerary). She will sign the DS2019 releasing the student for travel and return, in essence saying that the student is in good standing with AFS. This will be mailed back to the host family and should be kept with the passport. Allow a few weeks for this to happen. Plan early for traveling . 6. In the words of an AFS staff person, “I know that all this documentation is not always needed at the border, but when it is needed and a student doesn’t have it, things can get ugly. I’ve heard of students being detained at the border overnight while waiting to get clearance to return to the U.S. It’s best to have the documentation, just in case.” Travel Guidelines The following conditions can cause a student's independent travel plans to be rejected: Travel should not interfere with school. Travel should not interfere with attendance at required AFS events. Travel should not interfere with host family plans, especially during holidays Travel should not interfere with adaptation and / or integration. Travel does not exceed 10 days. Natural Family Visits Occasionally, natural families want to come to the host community to visit their son or daughter during their AFS experience. AFS strongly disapproves of natural family visits during the program as they can be quite disruptive to adjustment and integration. According to the Participation Agreement that all AFS students sign, relatives and friends are not to visit unless the student has obtained prior consent from the volunteers in the hosting country. If a student wants to travel with their natural family in the host country, a travel waiver is required.
	AFS Head of the Lakes Area Serving Northeastern Minnesota and Northwestern Wisconsin

Welcome to AFS

Head of the Lakes Area

Serving Northeastern Minnesota and Northwestern Wisconsin

Home Page AFS Head of Lakes

Emergency Contact Information

Calendar of Events

Hosting a Student

Going Abroad

Local Area / School Links

Student Travel Guidelines

AFS STUDENT TRAVEL

AFS USA realizes that while we are not a travel organization, opportunities will arise for a hosted student to travel outside their host community. AFS USA has set up guidelines for this type of travel to ensure participant safety and also maintain the integrity of the AFS programs. If an AFS participant travels without complying with the AFS USA travel guidelines, the action can be considered grounds for an early return to the home country.

Approved Travel

The following types of travel are approved by AFS USA and do not need a travel waiver:

Travel with the host family. Travel with host siblings (and not host parents) is allowed if the host sibling is over 25, or over 21 with Area Team approval.

Travel with school, such as sporting events and field trips

Travel on an AFS sponsored trip (organized by Area Team or local Chapter)

Note: If a school trip is out of state or if host family travel is out of the country, the natural family may be asked to submit a permission form.

For the approved travel listed above, notify appropriate AFS volunteer of travel plans and give the volunteer accurate contact info on how the student can be reached in case of emergency.

Other Travel

Any other travel (for example, visiting another AFSer or traveling with a friend's family) is considered independent travel by AFS and requires a signed travel waiver from the natural family. The travel waiver acts as a permission form from the natural family and releases AFS from liability during the AFSer's trip.

Steps for Approval of Other Travel:

1. Get permission from the host family. If host family says "No," the travel plans should go no further. If "Yes," then go to step 2.

2. Get permission from the appropriate AFS volunteer. Some areas require approval at the Area Team level, others allow local volunteers or liaisons to give permission for independent travel. Talk to your Area Team to find out who has the right to approve travel requests. If the volunteer says "No," the travel plans should go no further. If "Yes," then go to step 3.

3. A travel waiver should be requested by the natural family through AFS in the home country. The signed waiver will then be sent to the AFS regional office. Local area volunteers should email the Regional Travel / Logistics coordinators to alert them to student's independent travel plans and whether they are approved by the host family and volunteers.

4. The AFS regional office will review the travel waiver requests and reserves the right to deny permission for independent travel at any point in this timeline.

5. Once the permissions are obtained and the signed travel waiver is received by the regional AFS office, the Area Team volunteer will be emailed with notification of the arrival of the signed Travel Waiver. At this point, travel is officially approved by AFS.

6. Once travel is officially approved, students are free to finalize their plans and purchase their tickets.

Special Notes for Travel Out of the USA

There are times where an AFS student will have the opportunity to travel outside of the USA. For this travel, a permission form would be sent to the natural family for signature. Also, the following steps must be taken.

1. Contact the consulate for the destination country to determine if the AFS student will need a visa. Do this early as some consulates require students to show up in person to get the visa.

2. The DS-2019 form must be sent to the AFS regional office to be signed. This signature is to verify to immigration that the AFS student is in good standing and the J-1 visa sponsored by AFS is still valid. This form should be sent to the regional office either by registered mail or FedEx (something with a tracking number).

How to travel with an AFS student to Canada or Mexico

1. A local volunteer should be notified of the travel and approve it, either in writing or verbally, and the local volunteer also needs the itinerary in order to be able to find this student in case of emergency. AFS has very clear, and somewhat restrictive, travel policies. Your local AFS volunteers will be able to help you know if you’ve got everything in order.

2. Does student have a Multiple Entry Visa? Look in Passport, usually on the page with the picture. Under “Entries,” there should be an “M.” Without this “M,” the student potentially cannot get back into the U.S. To get a multiple entry visa would require them talking with their consulate to see what has to be done. AFS has nothing to do with this.

3. Is your student from a country that requires not only a passport but also a visa from Canada or Mexico? For Canada, go to this web site to find out countries that do or do not need a special visa: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/visit/visas.html
If the student needs a visa, follow the Canadian process (it will take some time and $100+ dollars). Plan ahead on this one. For Mexico, go to The Consulate General of Mexico http://www.consulmexny.org/eng/visas_fmt.htm and find the country of origin to see if you need visas along with the passport. Plan ahead on this one, too.

4. Natural parent(s) need to request a travel form from their local AFS (Affidavit of Child), sign it and return it to their local AFS, who will mail or fax it to AFS Central States, 2356 University Ave. W., Suite 424, St. Paul, MN 55114, or fax it to the same address at fax # 651-647-6628. This says that the natural parents approve of the stated travel.

Click here to download an Affidavit of Child that can be used for travel outside of the US.

Click here to download a Travel Authorization form that some families have used to grant authorization for a longer time period to a host family who makes frequent trips across the border.

5. The form (DS2019), that should be with the student's passport, needs to be mailed to Barbara Telser-Gadow at the above listed AFS Central States address with the dates of travel (your itinerary). She will sign the DS2019 releasing the student for travel and return, in essence saying that the student is in good standing with AFS. This will be mailed back to the host family and should be kept with the passport. Allow a few weeks for this to happen. Plan early for traveling .

6. In the words of an AFS staff person, “I know that all this documentation is not always needed at the border, but when it is needed and a student doesn’t have it, things can get ugly. I’ve heard of students being detained at the border overnight while waiting to get clearance to return to the U.S. It’s best to have the documentation, just in case.”

Travel Guidelines

The following conditions can cause a student's independent travel plans to be rejected:

Travel should not interfere with school.

Travel should not interfere with attendance at required AFS events.

Travel should not interfere with host family plans, especially during holidays

Travel should not interfere with adaptation and / or integration.

Travel does not exceed 10 days.

Natural Family Visits

Occasionally, natural families want to come to the host community to visit their son or daughter during their AFS experience. AFS strongly disapproves of natural family visits during the program as they can be quite disruptive to adjustment and integration. According to the Participation Agreement that all AFS students sign, relatives and friends are not to visit unless the student has obtained prior consent from the volunteers in the hosting country. If a student wants to travel with their natural family in the host country, a travel waiver is required.

AFS Head of the Lakes Area Serving Northeastern Minnesota and Northwestern Wisconsin