International Home Exchange - Check Visa Requirements 

Home Exchange - Things happen on the way to an exchange. 

From Robert Burns poem "To a Mouse" The best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry

The unexpected can and does happen. It is always best to have back up arrangements available—just in case. 

During the school term we have high school students from Germany and Brazil stay with us. On three occasions we have taken our students with us on short distance exchanges without a problem. 

Last year we arranged a home exchange to nearby Seattle Washington. We had no problem arranging an exchange and soon we were on our way. We got to the US Canada border and were stopped by US customs and immigration. Seems our Brazilian student needed a visa to enter the country. To make a long wait at the border a short story, we were denied entry into the US and had to return to Canada.
Something that had never crossed our minds. We had an obligation to our student so our part of the exchange was cancelled and we sought emergency hotel accommodation in Vancouver. 

Our exchange partner from Washington was now in our home and we weren't about to ask our guest to leave. So instead of spending 5 days in Seattle with free accommodations, we improvised and enjoyed our short holiday in Vancouver at $300 a night for two hotel rooms.