Federal Government shut down and how it affects the aupair program

• During the government shut down you will likely have many questions come your way. I would like to clarify some of the more common questions about what will affect aupairs and host families during the Shutdown:  
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• Not affected
  • Department of State J-1 program. This is a fee based program and has its own funds to continue operations. There is no current worry of our program shutting down.
  • US Embassies. Currently still issuing Visas.
  • Customs and Border Patrol (CBP)/Transportation Security Administration (TSA). CBP and the TSA are still operating as they are considered essential to National Security. There is a minor staffing reduction, which means that traveling aupairs can expect longer wait times when entering the US.
  • The Postal Service: Aupairs waiting on DS forms and other paper work can still expect to receive them in the usual time frame.

 

• Affected
  
  
  • The Social Security Administration (SSA). While the SSA is still operating, they are not issuing any new Social Security Numbers during the Government Shutdown. That means that any aupairs that have not yet applied for their cards will have to wait until after the shutdown. When I spoke with a SS Office, it was unclear what is happening with applications that were being processed when the shutdown happened, but there is potential for delays.
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