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.
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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”.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin said on Wednesday: “I believe in the mobility of young people across the world, and we should facilitate the mobility of young people. We do it in Europe very well and very effectively. There shouldn’t be any overzealous examinations of people’s records.
“Obviously, authorities do monitor for potential criminal activity and all that and that’s generally done by the police services. But I wouldn’t be in favor of any overbearing inquisitorial sort of approach to young people or their social media in terms of traveling, from here to United States or to any other parts of the world.”
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.”
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”.
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.”
