An exchange program application involves sensitive documents — your passport, your university records, your travel plans. This page explains how we handle them. All personal data we collect is processed and stored in the United States.
1. Who is responsible
Bridgeway Exchange LLC is responsible for the personal data described here.
Bridgeway Exchange LLC400 E Snow King Ave, PO 3520
Jackson, WY 83001, United States
Registered office: 30 N Gould St Ste R, Sheridan, WY 82801
Privacy contact: info@bridgewayexchange.com
2. What we collect
Information you give us
- Identity and contact details: name, date of birth, nationality, address, email, phone
- Passport data and a copy of your passport page
- Proof of enrolment, academic records and study dates
- Application content: work history, English level, job preferences, references
- Photographs required for the application or for employer review
- Emergency contact details
- Correspondence you send us
Information created during the process
- Application status, placement details and program dates
- DS-2019 and SEVIS reference numbers
- Insurance policy details
- Payment records: amount, date, method and the last four digits of a card where applicable
Information collected automatically
- Basic technical data when you visit this site, such as IP address, browser type and pages viewed, used to keep the site running and secure
We do not collect full card numbers. Card payments are handled by a third-party payment processor, and card details go directly to that processor without passing through our systems.
3. Why we use it
| Purpose | Basis |
|---|---|
| Assessing eligibility and preparing your application | Contract |
| Submitting your application to a sponsor organisation | Contract |
| Arranging a job placement with a prospective employer | Contract |
| Arranging program insurance | Contract |
| Processing payments and refunds | Contract |
| Responding to your questions and providing support | Contract |
| Keeping accounting and tax records | Legal obligation |
| Responding to lawful requests from authorities | Legal obligation |
| Preventing fraud and securing our systems | Legitimate interest |
| Sending program updates to past and current applicants | Legitimate interest |
| Marketing to people who are not applicants | Consent |
We do not sell personal data, and we do not share it with advertisers.
4. Who we share it with
An exchange application cannot be completed without sharing data with the organisations that administer it. We share only what each recipient needs:
- Sponsor organisations designated by the U.S. Department of State, which process your application and issue the DS-2019 form
- Prospective and confirmed employers in the United States, which review candidates and make hiring decisions
- Insurance providers, to issue your program policy
- Payment processors and banks, to take payment and issue refunds
- Government authorities, including the U.S. Department of State and the Department of Homeland Security, where required by law or by the program
- Professional advisers, such as accountants and lawyers, under a duty of confidentiality
- Service providers that host our systems, email and file storage, acting on our instructions
5. Where your data is processed
Your personal data is processed and stored in the United States. If you apply from outside the United States, submitting your application involves transferring your data to the United States, where data protection law differs from the law in your country and may offer a different level of protection.
This transfer is necessary to perform the agreement between us and to complete an application to a United States exchange program. Where we use service providers, we require them by contract to protect your data and to process it only on our instructions.
6. How long we keep it
- Application files: 5 years after the end of the program or after a cancelled application
- Financial and tax records: 7 years, as required by United States law
- Correspondence: 3 years from the last message
- Website technical logs: 12 months
When a retention period ends, we delete the data or remove anything that identifies you.
7. Your rights
Depending on where you live, you may have the right to:
- Ask what personal data we hold about you and receive a copy
- Have inaccurate data corrected
- Ask us to delete data we no longer need
- Object to or ask us to limit certain processing
- Receive data you gave us in a portable format
- Withdraw consent where we rely on it, without affecting earlier processing
- Complain to your local data protection authority
To exercise any of these, email info@bridgewayexchange.com. We reply within 30 days and may ask you to confirm your identity first.
Some data cannot be deleted on request while an application is in progress or while a legal retention period is running — for example, records required by a sponsor or by tax law. We will tell you when that applies and why.
8. Security
We use access controls, encrypted connections and reputable hosting and email providers, and we limit access to application files to people who need it. No system is completely secure, but if a breach affects your data and creates a real risk to you, we will notify you and the relevant authority as required by law.
9. Cookies
This site uses only the cookies needed to serve pages and keep the site secure. We do not use advertising cookies or cross-site tracking. You can block cookies in your browser; the site will still work.
10. Children
The program is for university students, and this site is not directed at children under 16. We do not knowingly collect data from children. If you believe a child has given us personal data, contact us and we will delete it.
11. Links to other sites
Our site may link to sponsor organisations, employers or government pages. Those sites have their own privacy policies, and we are not responsible for their content or practices.
12. Changes to this policy
We may update this policy. The date at the top shows when it last changed. If a change materially affects how we use your data, we will tell you by email.
13. Contact
Questions, requests or complaints about privacy go to info@bridgewayexchange.com, or to the postal address in section 1.