International Visitors Program

Each year, over 300 professionals from around the world visit Northeast Ohio through the Council’s International Visitors Programs. These programs include both short-term and long-term exchanges and are sponsored by the U.S. Department of State.

U.S. diplomats find that foreign decision makers who have firsthand experience in the United States are more understanding of the factors that shape our foreign policy and are more open to U.S. negotiating positions.

International Visitors hosted by the Cleveland Council on World Affairs have been identified by U.S. embassies abroad as emerging leaders in their fields. The Council’s staff and volunteers organize professional meetings, cultural events and home visits for program participants. We open our hearts and minds as we open our homes and businesses to foreign visitors, and we strengthen Northeast Ohio’s commercial, cultural and educational ties with the rest of the world.