Press Releases

Rebuttal to Irish Independent J-1 Article of June 26, 2006

To the Editor:

Monday’s article on page 4 of the Irish Independent by Aoife Anderson on the J-1 visa program, which used the insidious term “US inquisition” in its headline is not only a textbook example of unprofessional journalism, but it is also a gratuitous insult to the United States and the American Embassy staff, both Irish and American, here in Dublin. After making this emotionally-laden statement saying that our interview process deters students from applying for the J-1 visa program, Anderson does not cite even one piece of evidence, not one interview with a student, to back her fallacious statement that applicants are “undergoing enormous intrusion and inspection before being given the all clear to travel.” Not only is such a piece nothing more than anti-American propaganda of the lowest sort, it bespeaks a lack of professionalism that the Independent should abhor.

To date, the U.S. Embassy in Dublin has issued 6800 J-1 visas in 2006, compared to 7695 during the same period last year. Ms. Anderson could easily have obtained these figures had she asked. Instead, she makes the patently false claim that “two of Ireland’s J-1 dealers . . . have reportedly sold only 3900 visas to students this summer . . . .” Does she really think that anyone is allowed to “sell” American visas?! And does the Independent not have sufficient editorial control over its writers to correct such an obviously false presentation of data? While this is certainly a decline, it still represents an increase of nearly 1800 from the same period in 2004, and we are happy with these numbers. Our unprecedented outreach over the last two years has dispelled the myths among Irish students that J-1 visas are somehow “hard to get” or a “hassle.” Numbers are certainly nowhere near where they were in the distant past, when working the summer in America was often the only real employment option for Irish young people, but we believe the size of the applicant pool should remain steady for many years to come, especially since the vast majority of those who do travel on the J-1 report that the experience was a positive one, with many calling “the best time of their life.”

As for the slanderous assertion that our interview process is an “inquisition,” nothing could be further from the truth. Once an applicant enters the Embassy, the typical wait for an interview runs around 15 minutes – less in many cases. Applicants are then called up to give a digital fingerprint and are asked a few questions to ensure the application is complete. The typical reaction at the close of the interview (“Is that all?”), speaks for itself.

There are many reasons why more Irish young people do not apply for J-1 visas – a stronger Euro and far more opportunities in Ireland being chief among them. If the Independent writer had bothered to check all appropriate sources, she too would have understood the current state of affairs in this matter rather than relying on dated stereotypes that have long since been shattered. In the future, we hope the Independent will be more careful in its reporting and more professional in its presentation.

Danny Toma
Consul and First Secretary
United States Embassy Dublin