Building a J-1 Sponsor Program on Hanover

From Scattered Spreadsheets to a Single Source of Truth

When Stage Global was founded in 2010, managing participants looked very different. Without a dedicated participant portal, the team relied heavily on internal systems and manual processes. This created a significant administrative burden and made it difficult to deliver the seamless participant experience they wanted.

As the company grew, these challenges became harder to manage. Stage Global explored and trialled several platforms but struggled to find one that offered the flexibility and functionality its team needed.

That changed when Stage Global discovered Hanover in 2018. Following a demonstration tailored to its requirements, Hanover offered to manage the entire setup without an implementation or development fee. This reduced the risk of moving to a new platform and gave the team a clear, supported route to launch.

Stage Global has continued to assess other platforms over the years, but Hanover remains its system of choice. Today, it holds thousands of historical participant records and plays a central role in the company’s day-to-day operations.

Becoming a J-1 Sponsor Without Starting Again

In May, Stage Global reached an important milestone when it received its own J-1 sponsor designation from the U.S. Department of State.

The immediate priority was to get its new sponsor processes up and running within Hanover. As Hanover already supports the core workflows required by J-1 sponsors, Stage Global could build on the system it had used for several years instead of implementing another new platform.

The team initially launched a temporary program without SEVIS integration so it could begin processing participants straight away. At the same time, Stage Global worked with Hanover to configure several fully SEVIS-integrated programs, which followed within a matter of weeks.

Having previously used Hanover as an Essentials customer, the team was already familiar with the platform and chose to manage the transition without a formal paid onboarding package. When support was needed, Hanover’s technical team was on hand to provide quick, practical help, including same-day assistance with Stage Global’s first sponsor participant batches.

Stage Global’s application process begins outside Hanover. An external form helps the team review applications to confirm eligibility. Candidates who meet the initial requirements are then invited to register in Hanover, ensuring the pipeline remains focused on those ready to progress.

One Place for Participant and Company Information

For Stage Global, one of Hanover’s biggest benefits is having a reliable, central record of every participant and company.

The team can quickly access documents, contracts, communications and historical information without searching across multiple folders or systems. This has become particularly valuable as the business has grown and taken on its new sponsor responsibilities.

The participant portal gives exchange visitors the same sense of clarity. Documents, check-ins, reviews and feedback can all be managed in one place, reducing the need for long email threads and separate shared folders.

“Hanover has truly transformed our program management, saving us hours of admin time and making the entire process much smoother for both our team and partners.“

Andries, CEO, Stage Global

Stage Global has also taken a long-term approach to its sponsor setup. Rather than creating temporary processes for its current participant numbers, the team has invested in SEVIS-integrated workflows that can support future growth.

Building on Eight Years with Hanover

Stage Global joined Hanover as an Essentials customer in 2018. Eight years later, it is using the same platform to run its own J-1 sponsor programs.

That continuity has allowed the company to take on a significant new responsibility without losing its historical records, retraining its team on an entirely new system or rebuilding years of established processes.

For Stage Global, the value of Hanover lies in more than any single feature. It comes from having a system the team knows, a complete record it can rely on, and a platform that can continue to support the company as its sponsor programs grow.