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Irish Times
28-05-2025
- Politics
- Irish Times
Most Irish J1 students unaffected by US move to halt interviews for visas
Most Irish students who have applied for J1 visas to work in the United States this summer will be unaffected by the US government's suspension of visa interviews for foreign students, according to travel experts. Embassies and consulates have been ordered to stop scheduling new appointments for student and exchange visitor visa applicants as the US State Department prepares to expand social media vetting of foreign students. Travel firms who help to administer J1 visas for Irish students said the vast majority of students have had their applications processed, while those with scheduled interviews at the US embassy are exempt from the pause. About 5,000 Irish students are expected to travel on J1 visas this summer, a similar number to last year. READ MORE A cable from the US State Department to embassies – reported by Reuters – states that it is 'conducting a review of existing operations and processes for screening and vetting of student and exchange visitor (F, M, J) visa applicants, and, based on that review, plans to issue guidance on expanded social media vetting for all such applicants'. Michael Doorley, owner of SayIt Travel, who has been organising J1 visa applications for more than 20 years, said the vast majority of summer workers can breathe a sigh of relief. 'J1 students are pretty much done and dusted by this stage,' said. 'If you're on the record as having applied – our understanding is that applicants with existing interview appointments should still be able to attend those.' Sheelagh Daly, director of sales for the Council on International Educational Exchange, agreed that only a very small number of J1 students who have not yet applied may be affected. 'It is an evolving situation. We expect to get update guidance [on student visa applications] over the coming days, so we'll be monitoring that closely, but we're confident that almost all J1 students are on track.' [ Irish students' J1 plans in the Trump era: 'We said we wouldn't go ahead. It just isn't safe' Opens in new window ] Aontas na Mac Léinn in Éirinn (AMLÉ), the national representative body for students, acknowledged 'growing concerns around political expression, social media monitoring, and student safety'. It called on both US and Irish authorities to provide 'clear, consistent information to protect students' rights and ensure their safety while abroad'. Chris Clifford, AMLÉ's president, said Irish students should not be discouraged from pursuing cultural exchange programmes. 'Those who have already applied can proceed with confidence. For those intending to apply, we recommend acting quickly and maintaining contact with your provider. AMLÉ will continue to support and advocate for all students involved in the J1 programme,' he said. Last March, consular officers were first told to scrutinise the social media content of some applicants for student and other types of visas. That directive said that officers need to refer certain student and exchange visitor visa applicants to the 'fraud prevention unit' for a 'mandatory social media check'. [ Irish J1 visa students urged to be informed of potential risks of 'activism' in US Opens in new window ] In recent months, US president Donald Trump 's administration has spoken about cancelling student visas, revoking green cards and scrutinising the social media history of foreign visitors, mainly in the context of outrage around Israel's war in Gaza. Mr Doorley of SayIt Travel said it has advised J1 students to be 'careful' about their use of social media. Despite the political atmosphere in the US, he said demand was as strong as ever for J1 visas. 'It's still a rite of passage for students,' he said. 'We filled our quota and still had a waiting list of about 150 students.'
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.
