United States Government Publishing Office publisher pbl distributor dst United States Government Accountability Office author aut Government Organization text government publication eng GAOREPORTS Legislative Agency Publications gao legislative 2010-08-12 U.S. Government Printing Office 2005-10-14 monographic deposited born digital 36 p. GA 1.13:GAO-06-106 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-GAO-06-106 P0b002ee180380030 f:d06106 DGPO 2010-08-12 2011-03-28 GAOREPORTS-GAO-06-106 machine generated eng fdlp REPORT GAOREPORTS-GAO-06-106 GAO-06-106 Cultural exchange programs Exchange of persons programs Internal controls J-1 Visas Program abuses Program evaluation Program management Dept. of State Summer Work Travel Program Other Written Product A39518 Exchange programs, which bring over 280,000 foreign visitors to the United States annually, are widely recognized as an effective way to expose citizens of other countries to the American people and culture. Past GAO and the Department of State (State) Office of Inspector General reviews have reported that some exchange visitors have participated in unauthorized activities and cited problems in the management and oversight of the programs. Strong management oversight is needed to ensure that the programs operate as intended and are not abused. This report examines how State manages the Summer Work Travel and the Trainee programs to ensure that only authorized activities are carried out under the programs and identifies potential risks of the programs and the data available to assess these risks. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-GAO-06-106/html/GAOREPORTS-GAO-06-106.htm https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-GAO-06-106/pdf/GAOREPORTS-GAO-06-106.pdf GAO-06-106 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-GAO-06-106 Other Written Product GAO-06-106; State Department: Stronger Action Needed to Improve Oversight and Assess Risks of the Summer Work Travel and Trainee Categories of the Exchange Visitor Program; Cultural exchange programs Exchange of persons programs Internal controls J-1 Visas Program abuses Program evaluation Program management Dept. of State Summer Work Travel Program Public Law 97-255 Public Law 107-173