J1 Visa Numbers in Decline

I guess I'm somewhat surprised by the article below, taken from the Irish Times, but not overly so. I mean, when I went to Boston in the summer of 2002, there were a lot of people there. The after effects of 9/11 on travel and security hadn't really kicked in yet,so all was hunky dory to a certain degree. There was a noticeable downturn in the economy with Irish students finding it hard to find jobs. Two of the twelve people I was living with barely worked a week all summer. And two others had to travel about 90 minutes each way to work. But this was nothing extremely out of the ordinary. Some J1 summers are good, some are a little tough. At the time, I didnt realise that the shine on doing a J1 was wearing off right before my eyes.

Over the years following my summer in Boston, numbers doing the J1 were falling as the security measures went up. I did an internship in New York in the summer of 2003 for 6 months. I had to go to the US Embassy in Dublin for an interview. I wasnt really surprised or bothered as I was working for longer than a J1 does, so I didnt see the measures as too much. J1's going in 2003 didnt have to attend the embassy. But in 2004 all J1's had to attend the embassy which is a complete pain in the ass for some student wanting to get drunk and have fun in the states. For me, my internship was part of my degree, I was getting paid a lot of money and it was more important to me than a J1 summer. So I didnt mind jumping through some hoops.

But as it turns out,J1 students now face a completely different situation. They are fingerprinted on entry, they have to attend an interview, which takes a full day to do if you're not from Dublin, they have to tell the US authorities exactly where they are at all times and yada yada yada. Basically, they have about 20 more hoops to jump through than I did for my internship and about 50 more than when I went on my J1 only 2 years previously.

So to hear that numbers for last year fell from 6,500 to 2,800 is amazing, but not entirely surprising. This was the first year people had to go to Dublin for an interview. When I went, I booked my flights, handed in my passport and got it sent back to me with a visa about 2 weeks later. Making fun-loving students complete these not so fun tasks completely dulled the J1 trophy. Why would someone bother doing all this, when they can go somewhere in Europe or stay at home and actually make money? I went to Boston with the intention of having fun, and not making money. I made some, but spent quite a bit. Thankfully I didnt have to make money as if my life depended on it, but some students do. When they do, they just ignored the J1 experience. Right after I came home, I would have strongly encourage anyone to do it, but I'm not so sure now. It is a great experience and I would still recommend it, but it has become soooo much more difficult to have an amazing summer. It is still possible, but seemingly the lazy students of Ireland couldnt be bothered putting in any effort, and instead have decided not to go.

US envoy tries to reverse decline in J1 student visas
John Downes

In an unprecedented attempt to reverse a dramatic decline in the numbers of Irish students taking part in the J1 summer visa programme, the American ambassador to Ireland is to address information seminars for students here.

Describing the decline in the programme's popularity as a "hugely important issue for us", Mr James C. Kenny said it allows students to learn that the US is not "what they just see on the front page of the headlines every day".

Under the J1 programme, Irish students can legally work and live in the US for a maximum of four months over the summer.

However, last year The Irish Times revealed that applications for the programme received by the student travel agency, USIT, had fallen from 6,500 to 2,800.

Mr Kenny said he was aware that there was some anti-US sentiment among students as a result of the war in Iraq, but he believed there were a number of other factors which had contributed to the decrease in applications for the programme.

These include the increased popularity of other countries such as Australia, the strong economy here - meaning students can easily find summer jobs at home - and tighter controls on entry procedures.

The J1 programme has long been seen as a traditional "rites of passage" by generations of Irish students. But students have been put off by tighter security controls since the September 11th attacks.

For the first time last year, any student wanting to participate in the programme was required to attend an interview in the US embassy in Dublin. This means students, from outside Dublin in particular, can be faced with significant additional travel expenses to attend the five-minute interview - which costs €100 through USIT.

Participants also face mandatory fingerprinting at airports, and must agree to register with the US authorities so that they can be tracked while in the country. A restriction on final-year students enrolling on the programme has also affected participation rates.

"By the end of the J1 season [last year], we were pretty disappointed," Mr Kenny said. "What we hope to do is get the numbers back up to where they were previously to 2004. I hope that we can . . . make it easier and more welcoming for people to come experience [the US]. Because I'm telling you it is a hugely important issue for us in America to be that way."

Mr Kenny added that he was prepared to miss this week's presidential inauguration, which takes place on Thursday, to focus on the new J1 recruitment drive. The information seminars will be held in TCD and UCC later today and tomorrow.

He ruled out any relaxation of the new procedures, and said the focus would be on making the process more streamlined.

To think that the US Ambassador to Ireland would go around the country and speak at events to encourage students to go to America is unprecented. When I went to a similar event in UCC in 2002, there was just one representative from USIT. It even made the main evening news on RTE. The following is taken from the USIT J1 website, which just goes to show the effort the US authorities are going to, to reverse this trend.

Letter from U.S Ambassador


Make 2005 Your Year to Visit America!
For many young men and women across Ireland, thoughts are already turning to next summer and plans are being made on how to spend it. If you are one of those people, I have a suggestion for you - come to America!

Under the J-1 Summer Work Travel visa program, thousands of young Irish will be able to live, work and travel in the United States next summer for up to four months. Not only will you be able to experience America's vibrant culture and make new friends, but you will also be able to teach us about Ireland and Europe. We believe you will come away with good impressions of our country and people, and we are confident you will give us a better understanding of Ireland and the rest of Europe.

The "visa season" starts in January and we are determined this year to make this process as smooth and easy as possible for you. We work with a number of organisations that recruit students for summer exchanges and we urge you to work through them to find the best possible opportunities for your "summer in the States."

So if you've been thinking about spending the summer of '05 in America, now is the time to start applying! We look forward to hosting thousands of young Irish in the United States this year and I personally hope YOU are one of them!

James C. Kenny
U.S. Ambassador to Ireland

If you ask me, they've brought it on themselves. They're making life difficult for students that want everything the easy way. Its a shame that its happening, and hopefully the efforts of James C. Kenny & Co will reverse this trend.