6,000-Plus J-1s Set for U.S.

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Irish Voice News

6,000-Plus J-1s Set for U.S.

May 29, 2008

By April Drew

ACCORDING to the American Embassy in Ireland, 6,445 Irish students, currently sitting their end of year college exams, will soon be leaving their books behind to embark on a working holiday in the U.S.

Students who will flock to various parts of the U.S. in the coming weeks will have in their possession a J-1 exchange visitor visa, giving travel access to all 50 states of America and a legal work permit for up to four months. Like several years in the past, the students are between the ages of 18 and 23.

According to Seona Mac Réamoinn of USIT, an Irish organization specializing in student, youth and independent travel which is one of the agencies responsible for the J-1 program, the number of people who applied for a visa this summer is up nearly 20% from last year.

The J-1 visa specifically allows a student who is currently in third level education and intends to return to school or a job in the fall, to live and work legally in any part of the U.S. for a four month period with one month grace in which they can travel wherever they chose within the country. When the four months are complete they must return to Ireland.

According to USIT, while most students choose the U.S. as their destination for work and travel, several others go inter-railing across Europe. Others go farther afield to countries like Thailand.

Statistics released by USIT show that 69% of students applying for a J-1 in 2007 were female and 31% were male. “We are expecting a similar breakdown this year,” said Mac Réamoinn.

Although more than 50% of students come to the East Cost of the country to find employment, New York and New Jersey being their primary destinations, in 2007, 46% of J-1 students located themselves in the West Coast, with San Diego being one of the most popular cities to work and live in for the summer.

The approximate cost of the package USIT offers, including visa fees is ?1,000 ($1,550). For those opting to travel of the West Coast the cost is ?200 or so more.

For the most part students in 2007 reported finding work in the hospitality industry. Others opted for work in the retail industry.

While USIT reports that most students acquire their housing on the Internet before arriving in the U.S, Orla Kelleher, executive director of the Aisling Irish Community Center in Yonkers said the center has received numerous e-mails from students over the past few months inquiring about housing and jobs in New York, New Jersey, Long Island and the Hamptons.

Kelleher hopes that students will visit the center for information on their stay.

“What we would like to do is make students aware that it’s important they mind themselves,” she said making mention of incidents with students in the past including alcohol poisoning, drug overdoses, physical and sexual assault. “Many of these disasters can be prevented if people just take care and act responsibly.”

Motive Television, an independent television company, has been contracted by Irish broadcaster RTE to create a six-part series called Summer in the Sun – The J1 to document the experience of three groups of students who seek work in the U.S. with the visas.

Cameras will follow the students, from Dublin, Galway and Dundalk as they travel the country seeking accommodation and summer employment. The series will be take place in Hawaii, San Diego and Chicago.

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