The AFICE American Homestay Program
HOSTING AN AFICE STUDENT
Thank you for your interest in student exchange and in becoming a host family for an AFICE foreign exchange student. Our homestay program enables high school-aged students from around the world the opportunity to live with their host parents and host siblings here in the United States and learn firsthand about the American way of life. The exchange students live as a member of your family, attending the local high school for one academic school year or one semester. This process is often referred to as a cultural exchange.
Hosting has a rich heritage in the United States, from before the Fulbright-Hays act of 1961, through Ronald Reagan's Presidential Initiative, and on through present day. In that same spirit, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton recorded a special video discussing cultural exchanges, the need for hosting, and the benefits it brings the host families, the United States, and the entire world. The AFICE student exchange organization is designated by the U.S. Department of State as a J-1 visa sponsor for high school-aged foreign exchange students.
More information on becoming an AFICE host family can be found here and in the navigation bar above under "Hosting". The "Hosting FAQ" includes answers to some of the questions potential host families often have.
To become a volunteer Host Family or to receive more information on becoming a Host Family for an AFICE exchange student, please complete the Host Family Inquiry Form above. If you wish to get a jump start on the process, you can instead download the full AFICE Host Family Application Package (requires Adobe Acrobat Reader).
If you have questions, please phone our national office, toll-free: 866-GO-AFICE (866-462-3423).