As droves of fresh faced Irish students touchdown on U.S. soil eager to experience a slice of American life this summer, the coalition of Irish Immigration Centers (CIIC) has issued a guide for J-1 students.
The CIIC J-1 Subcommittee created a 2013 Safety Guidelines for Summer J-1s Document. The immigration experts have advised Irish student to review the guide, which offers advice on accommodation and jobs hunting, prior to their arrival in the U.S.
The guidelines recommended students bring around $2,500 in funds with them for the summer. It warns against Craigslist housing scams.
"Do not wire money to rent housing via Western Union or any other wire transfer agency! This is a classic scam,” it states.
The immigration body also strongly advises students not to tamper with their passport. In the summer of 2011 some Irish students in the US faced a security crackdown at airport immigration after they had doctored their passports in order to purchase alcohol.
"Do not tamper with your Passport or someone else’s passport in an attempt to get around the US legal drinking age of 21 and/or to gain entry to over 21 bars and clubs. Falsifying passports is a federal offence. The punishment can include a fine or imprisonment. Those convicted will also almost certainly be refused entry to the US from that point forward," the CIIC Guidelines state.
It concludes by advising students on the J-1 visa not to overstay their visa.
"Overstaying a visa in the US, even by one day, results in your visa being automatically voided and can leave you liable for arrest, detention and deportation, and/or severely affect your chances of obtaining a visa to enter the U.S. in the future."
Paul Finnegan, CIIC Board Member and J1 Subcommittee Chair described the J-1 experience as exciting and fun.
"That being said, it is important that students be prepared and aware of the responsibilities they have as J1 holders. We outline some of those responsibilities in the Safety Guidelines document."
The 2013 Safety Guidelines for Summer J1s can be found here.
A list of local Irish centers can be found on the CIIC website at the following link: http://ciic-usa.org/find-your-local-irish-center/.
The Coalition of Irish Immigration Centers (CIIC) is a national umbrella group for all of the Irish Immigration Centers in the US. The CIIC was established in 1996 to promote the welfare of Irish immigrants in the US at a national level.
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