Arriving J-1 students need places to stay

Roofs jpg

Roofs jpg


Montauk, at the eastern end of Long Island, is one of the most popular summer destinations for Irish J-1 Visa holders.

By Irish Echo Staff
letters@irishecho.com

While the global Irish diaspora was being discussed over the past couple of days at the first ever Global Irish Civic Forum in Dublin, hundreds of Irish students were packing their bags and preparing to join that same diaspora, at least temporarily.

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Over 1,700 Irish students are expected to pass through New York airports over the coming days as part of the J-1 Summer Work and Travel Program – this according to the Emerald Isle Immigration Center in New York.

Many will travel on to various destinations in the New York area, especially Long Island ones such as Montauk and the Hamptons, areas of New Jersey and Connecticut, while some will travel farther to Ocean City, Maryland, Chicago and Boston, said EIIC in a release.

“However, a large number are expected to stay in the immediate New York area. In advance of the J-1 summer arrivals, EIIC has been working with many Irish Community organizations to assist with preparations.

Caitriona Howley, the EIIC’s Employment Coordinator, has spent a number of weeks preparing for their arrival by networking with employers and reaching out to the community seeking assistance with accommodation options, the release stated.

And it continued: “However, housing remains a major issue in New York City. While the EIIC lists some temporary accommodation in New York on our official J1 guide and at our office there is a significant shortage to meet the numbers of J1 Students who need somewhere to stay.”

The center is appealing to people that if they can consider renting a room, apartment or house to call the center at (718)478-5502 in Queens, (718)324-3039 in the Bronx, or indeed any Irish center in the New York area.

Emerald Isle estimates that many of the arrivals will not have sorted accommodation options in advance.

It is planning to hold daily orientation meetings at its Queens and Bronx Offices, commencing at 2 p.m. “over the next few weeks.”

And an EIIC J-1 Networking and Orientation Meeting will be held in the Consulate General of Ireland office on Park Avenue in Manhattan on June 9 from 4 to 6 p.m. The consulate is at 345 Park Ave., 17th Floor.

Photo ID will be required to enter the building.

Students are encouraged to bring their important documents, such as passports and social security cards, so that spare copies can be made and held there in case of an emergency, said the EIIC release. More at www.eiic.org.

 

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