Resources for J-1 and H-2B Workers

The Town of Provincetown wants all visiting foreign students and workers to feel safe and secure as exchange visitors under the J-1 Summer Work and the H-2B Temporary Worker Visa Programs in Provincetown. Enjoying and learning from your time here means being free from worry about housing or employment practices that may be barriers to your success and/or well-being.

If you find you are having difficulties with housing or employment practices or other situations, your first, best resource is your Sponsor. Sponsors not only assist with the application process, but they monitor the exchange visitor’s progress throughout your stay and can intervene in cases where health, financial implications, and safety and well-being of the individual is at risk. When in doubt, your Sponsor should be first in line to assist you.

If you become aware of an incident affecting the health, safety, or welfare of an exchange visitor other than yourself, please contact the Office of Private Sector Exchange Administration (OPA) right away. Here are the contacts for the U.S. State Department - OPA Summer Work Travel and Camp Counselor Program Team: 

Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs 

Office of Private Sector Exchange Administration, United States Department of State:

• Ethan Bursofsky, Branch Chief 
  • Phone: 202-733-8599 
  • E-mail: BursofskyEJ@state.gov 
• Lauren Grimes, Program Analyst 
  • E-mail: GrimesLM@state.gov  

In addition, here are other category-specific email addresses:

• Government Visitor, International Visitor, Research Scholar, Short-Term Scholar, Specialist, College and University Student, and Professor Categories:
  • AGalert@state.gov
• Au Pair Category:
  • AuPairProgram@state.gov
• Intern and Trainee Categories: 
  • InternTraineeNotify@state.gov
• Secondary School Student Category: 
  • HighSchoolExchanges@state.gov
• Teacher and Alien Physician Category: 
  • Teacher_Physician@state.gov
• Summer Work Travel Category: 
  • SWTSponsors@state.gov
• Camp Counselor Category:
  • CCSponsors@state.gov

You should consider contacting the Massachusetts Office of the Attorney General to file a workplace and/or civil rights complaint and the Better Business Bureau to file a complaint as soon as possible. Making the reports to the AG and BBB will allow you to provide your experiences to appropriate regulatory agencies.

• Attorney General’s Office https://www.mass.gov/orgs/office-of-the-attorney-general 
• Better Business Bureau https://www.bbb.org/file-a-complaint 

You may also consider contacting the American Civil Liberties Union (ALCU) for legal assistance if you want to consider the option of pursuing a lawsuit in a court of law.

• ACLU https://www.aclum.org/en/seeking-legal-help-aclu

Finally, the Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce is not a regulatory agency, but if the business where you work is a current Chamber member, the CC Chamber of Commerce has a complaint form that you can complete. Contact the Chamber and they will send you the form:

• info@capecodchamber.org/ 508-362-3225

If the situation includes threats, harassment, or any kind of illegal or criminal activity, please contact the Provincetown Police Department to report the situation by calling 508-487-1212. If it’s an emergency, dial 9-1-1