The State Department publicly claims that one of its well-known exchange programs breaches the regulations which lead to exploitation of many students. However, it is still unclear what measure will be undertaken to stop the abuses over students in the J-1 Summer Work Travel Program.
The alleged rules aim to make official sponsors bare responsibility over J-1 students. According to the State Department's proposed new rules published this spring in the Federal Register, sponsors have passed on their main duties to the third-party contractors. This resulted in making the sponsors "mere purveyors of J-1 visas". The department has been criticized for depending on sponsors for a long time by federal authorities. The whole oversee of the program is needed although even the revised rules and regulations would not require such an oversight. So, sponsors will have their hands free for policing themselves and their partners.
An Associated Press investigation found out in their essays that many students have paid thousands of dollars to come to the U.S. and realize that promised jobs, accommodation and employers simply do not exist. Some of them had to turn to the sex industry for they were vulnerable for any display of exploitation.
State Department officials published the new rules that are to take effect July 15. Current problems are highlighted in the proposed rules while lack of oversight by the sponsors is claimed to be the main reason of the inability of the program partners to comply with the rules. The rules are expected to verify that all students have legitimate jobs and employers. However, many doubt that the State Department will check to verify whether those duties are done by sponsors.
