Latest news with #ChrisClifford
Irish Examiner
19-06-2025
- Politics
- Irish Examiner
Students concerned after US officials order those travelling on JI visa to set social media profiles to public
New US visa screening protocols now require international students, including Irish students travelling on a J1 visa, to adjust the privacy settings on all their social media profiles to public. Aontas na Mac Léinn in Éirinn (Amlé), formerly the Union of Students in Ireland, has raised serious concern over the new screening protocols introduced this week. The US State Department announced it would now 'conduct a comprehensive and thorough vetting, including online presence, of all student and exchange visitor applicants' under the new guidance. Amlé president Chris Clifford said the measures 'send a damaging signal to young people globally and undermine the principles of openness and educational exchange'. These restrictions are likely to deter students who wish to pursue academic opportunities in the United States, particularly those who may already face systemic barriers to international mobility, he added. The new screening protocols applies to those on F, M, and J nonimmigrant visas. Irish students tend to travel to the US on J1 visas, with many understood to have already arrived in the States after travelling earlier in the summer. However, the new screening process will apply if students travel outside of, and return to, the States while on their visa, and to those who have yet to embark on their travels to the States. Amlé is now calling on the Irish Government to engage directly with US counterparts 'to advocate for student rights and ensure Irish students are not subject to excessive or discriminatory vetting practices". The union said it was continuing to monitor developments closely, and urged affected students to seek support from their institutions or student unions. 'We also advise all students travelling to the US this summer on a J1 visa to stay informed, stay safe, and be aware of their rights throughout their trip.' The update from the US State Department said: 'To facilitate this vetting, all applicants for F, M, and J nonimmigrant visas will be instructed to adjust the privacy settings on all of their social media profiles to 'public'.' 'Our overseas posts will resume scheduling F, M, and J nonimmigrant visa applications soon. Applicants should check the relevant embassy or consulate website for appointment availability.' 'Every visa adjudication is a national security decision,' it added. Updated information from the Department of Foreign Affairs said the majority of visits to the United States pass 'without difficulty'. 'The US authorities may ask to search your electronic devices, such as your phones, computers or tablets, when you are entering the United States.' 'They may request your passwords and they are not required to provide a reason for doing so. If you refuse, they may deny you entry to the United States.' "Furthermore, the US authorities have indicated they may consider activity on social media when making decisions about your immigration status,' it added. 'The US authorities have indicated this includes applicants for lawful permanent residence status and student visa holders.' As an Irish citizen, if you are detained, you have the right to contact the Embassy of Ireland or the nearest Consulate General of Ireland, according to the advice from the Department of Foreign Affairs. "To do so, you must request that the Embassy of Ireland or the nearest Consulate General of Ireland be informed of your detention."
Irish Times
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Irish Times
Demand for J1 visas to work in US remains high despite concerns about Trump border controls
Demand for J1 visas this summer remains high among Irish students, according to travel providers, despite concerns over border controls and access to jobs under the Trump administration's new hardline immigration policies. In April, the Union of Students in Ireland (USI) urged caution for those who would be travelling to the US on J1 visas this summer. Following the US administration's decision last month to begin screening the social media accounts of immigrants, visa applicants and foreign students for what it has called 'anti-Semitic activity', the union said it was important that those travelling 'fully understand' the possible consequences for their visa status, including the risk of deportation. USI president Chris Clifford said students have 'safety concerns' about the current situation in the US. READ MORE 'There's always concern but it has increased significantly this year. There has been more [concern] this year, more conversations around it, with the student unions and USI ... they [students] have concerns about arriving, having their phone searched, being detained or being deported,' he said. Ellen Clusker, a final-year UCD English and history student from Dublin, will travel to Maine in three weeks where she has secured work at a summer camp. 'I never debated not going but I have worries,' said Ms Clusker, who has been hearing recently how people 'going over are having their phone searched'. 'It's quite invasive but I'm not sure how true those concerns are ... I only have Instagram and it's private. Some friends have deleted Twitter [X] or some tweets that they are worried about, but I personally won't be. 'Even some friends are saying: 'Oh have you seen this?' and I'm like: 'Stop panicking me,'' she said. While her father has been 'encouraging', Ms Clusker says her mother is worried about her upcoming travel plans – 'she keeps sending me news articles.' Other students chose not to give their real names, feeling it may jeopardise any future plans to visit the US. One such student from Munster Technological University in Cork, Sarah* (21), and two friends have decided to forgo their J1 plans this summer amid growing safety concerns. 'We all started the application process and we all paid just under €1,000, but with everything that happened with tariffs, seeing stories of ICE [the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement] taking people into custody and also people being denied entry, it made us a bit nervous," she said. 'So we said we wouldn't go ahead with it. It's a real shame and we're all really disappointed but it just isn't safe.' For Sarah, the decision is 'about freedom of speech ... we wouldn't want to go and feel like we couldn't post something on our Instagram story that wouldn't align with Trump's ideals'. 'If that was taken and used against me and there was a mark on my record that I was denied entry or if I was deported, that would ruin any chance of going to the States again.' Laura*, a second-year Irish and translation student from University of Galway, is getting ready to travel to Ohio this week where she will work as a camp instructor for three months. This will be Laura's first visit to the States – 'I have always wanted to go to America' – and she is feeling uneasy after reading recent news stories and USI's statement last month. 'By the time that came out, I felt I was already too far in with the application process. I do worry, hearing all the stories of protests being shut down in the US.' Laura has been involved in student activism but doesn't 'plan on doing that in the States because it's too risky'. Offering advice to those who may be feeling concerned in advance of travelling to the US, Clifford said students should 'proceed with caution' when it comes to what they post online. 'The digital footprint goes a long way,' he said. 'Keep communicating with your family, tell them where you are and what you are doing, that's big ... Keep informed and most importantly prioritise the safety of you and your friends if you are travelling together.' Work-abroad organisation Usit said there were just over 5,500 J1 visas issued last year, with numbers for 2025 expected to be similar. Although figures have not yet been released for this year, Sheelagh Daly, director of sales in Ireland with the Council on International Educational Exchange said it had not seen any decline in demand for this summer's working visas. Figures provided by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the US Department of State, which oversees the J1 programme, show 3,722 students travelled from Ireland to the US in 2024. Similar uptake was seen in 2023, when 3,673 travelled, and 2022 when 3,660 participants were recorded. These figures represent the amount of BridgeUSA J1 Summer Work and Travel programme participants, not including participants in the US Summer Camp or Internship programmes.
