Examining Student Visas In The Caldwells

Should the West Essex Regional School District enact a policy that would let it accept J-1 visa students?

This is the question that Essex Fells resident William Ciardiello posed to the West Essex Regional School District’s Board of Education members during the public meeting on July 20.

Currently, the district has no policy on the acceptance of J-1 visas, which are typically issued to students who need to obtain practical training that is not available in their home country to complete their academic program.

According to InternationalStudent.com, there are two additional types of student visas:

• F-1 Visa: The “F” visa is for academic studies. F-1 visas are by far the most common form of international student visa in the U.S.
• M-1 Visa: An M-1 visa is issued to a student who is going to attend a non-academic or vocational school.

“The J-1 visa is something that we don’t have because we don’t have a relationship with a sponsor organization,” Superintendent Barbara Longo told Patch.

Longo said that setting up a policy that would allow the school to accept J-1 visas would be a decision for the Board of Education.

But such a change may not happen anytime soon.

“The board is not interested in changing [the district’s] policy,” Longo said.

This stance is unacceptable to Ciardiello, who told Patch that he was approved by International Cultural Exchange Services in the spring to host a 16-year-old student from Germany under a J-1 visa.

“The organization conducted a background and reference check as well as a home inspection,” Ciardiello stated. “But when they notified the school they were rebuffed.”

“The opportunity to host the German student is lost,” Ciardiello added. “I’m attempting to get the board to develop a foreign students policy for the 2016-17 school year. My effort so far has met with silence from the board.”

File photo of Chubu International Airport via Flickr

Send Caldwell area news tips to eric.kiefer@patch.com