Frequently Asked Questions
What is YSEALI Professional Exchange?
Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative Professional Exchange (YSEALI PE) is a professional development exchange program for young leaders from Southeast Asia working in the fields of innovation, entrepreneurship and emerging technologies, strategic energy and resource management, governance and accountability, and peace and security. The program advances U.S. strategic interests in the Indo-Pacific by developing a network of emerging Southeast Asian leaders who share America's founding principles of liberty, opportunity, and self-reliance, fostering shared prosperity in support of a secure, free, and open Indo-Pacific. YSEALI PE provides participants a month-long placement with U.S.-based companies, non-profit organizations, institutions, and government offices. Participants will work with community leaders to enhance their practical expertise, leadership skills, and professional contacts to address issues in their home communities.
Do I need to pay for the program? What are the costs?
If selected as a finalist, the U.S. Department of State will cover costs associated with international travel, visa, and living costs in the U.S. There are no required costs to participants.
Am I eligible to apply?
Please see the eligibility requirements listed here.
How do I apply?
Please see the application instructions listed here.
How are participants selected?
Participants are selected through a merit-based selection process. This includes an extensive written and video application and an in-person interview. The selection of finalists is determined in collaboration with the U.S. Department of State.
Can I apply to more than one theme?
Applicants will be instructed to rank the themes in order of preference but will ultimately be assigned to one theme. Applicants are subject to transfer to different themes, should it be deemed appropriate.
What type of U.S. visa do I need and how will I get it?
American Councils will assist participants in applying for a J-1 visa. All visa fees will be covered by the program as well as travel costs to attend the visa interview. Participants must be granted a J-1 visa by the consular section at the U.S. Embassy in order to be eligible to participate in YSEALI PE. American Councils will assist participants in the application process, but has no influence over visa granting decisions made by the U.S. Embassy. Failure to obtain a J-1 visa will result in termination from the program. Recipients of a J-1 visa are subject to the two-year home-country physical presence requirement after the exchange program, meaning they must return to their home country for at least two years following participation in YSEALI PE, although limited exceptions may apply.
Where will I live?
YSEALI PE participants will stay with U.S. host families or be housed in university housing, extended stay hotels, or some combination of these options. At minimum, all participants will be provided a home hospitality experience such as dinner with an American family, a cultural excursion, short-term homestay, or other relevant activity to encourage cultural exchange.
How will my placement be assigned?
Participants will be placed in a non-profit, public, or private sector organization in the United States for the duration of the exchange using information provided in their application, interview, and other materials. Program implementers will do their best to consider participants’ interests and requests for a specific topic or professional placement. However, please note that preferences are non-binding and the final decision about professional placement is based on many factors including availability. Not every type of profession will have an exact match in the United States, but program implementers will attempt to find something similar or related to participants’ professional interests.
What will I do at my professional placement?
Each participant is paired with a U.S. placement host ahead of their arrival to the U.S., who serves as the main point of contact for the participant and coordinates their tasks and activities. Participants will be connected with their U.S. placement hosts prior to arrival to the U.S. While in their U.S. professional placement, participants will engage in a wide range of activities which may include shadowing important meetings, conducting research, presenting on relevant topics, participating in office events, joining projects, and many other activities. YSEALI PE is a participant-driven experience. Participants who are most successful set goals and objectives for the program in advance of their arrival and proactively share them with their U.S. professional placement host, along with information about their background and experiences at home. This information can help to guide participants’ experience and help them get the most out of the exchange.
I just submitted an application. What happens next?
All applicants should receive an automated confirmation email upon submission of the application. The application review process can take up to six weeks. The YSEALI PE team will contact all applicants regarding their status by email, so applicants should keep an eye on their email in the weeks following the application deadline.
What happens after the program?
Upon completion of the program, participants are considered YSEALI PE alumni and are eligible for further alumni programming and opportunities through the alumni network. The post-U.S. components are as important to YSEALI PE as the U.S.-based components. This includes implementation of follow-on Action Plans to address challenges encountered in participants’ home communities. Select participants may receive funding to implement their Action Plan or invite a U.S. placement host from their professional placement to implement a Reciprocal Exchange Project in the participant’s home country. Additionally, YSEALI PE alumni will be eligible to participate in Regional Alumni Accelerator Solutions Workshops.