Photos: Foreign workers with J-1 Summer Work Travel visas experience Alaska

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Igor Zvernic, from Belgrade, Serbia, works at Humpy’s Alehouse on Wednesday, September 16, 2015. Zvernic, who worked two jobs and shared a crowded Midtown apartment, said he wanted to come to Alaska to make as much money as possible, which is much more than he can earn at home, he said. (Marc Lester / Alaska Dispatch News)

Each summer, hundreds of foreign college students travel to Alaska to work seasonal jobs as part of the U.S. State Department's J-1 Summer Work Travel Program. The program's stated purpose is to "share their culture and ideas with people of the United States through temporary work and travel opportunities."

But for many students, it's a chance to work multiple low-paying jobs to the point of exhaustion and save much more money than they could expect to make at home. Critics say the program provides little in the way of a cultural exchange and leaves workers vulnerable to exploitation.

Some Alaska employers say the J-1 workforce is taking jobs that they can't fill with American workers.

Alaska Dispatch News reporters Michelle Theriault Boots and Marc Lester examined the J-1 Summer Work Travel program in Alaska. Explore a photo essay on the program in the slideshow above. In the stories below, meet some of the people who came here to work from around the globe, read about what kind of experiences they've had and why some employers have come to rely on them.

Part 1: In Alaska, young foreign workers on "cultural exchange" visas wash the dishes and make hotel beds

Part 2: Are foreign students who come to Alaska for summer work on a cultural exchange or just low-paid labor?

Also, watch the video below for a look at J-1 Night, a weekly summer dance party for the visiting workers at the Denali Salmon Bake bar.