The U.S. Department of State strictly investigates and restricts the J-1 visa program

The U.S. State Department strictly investigates and restricts the J-1 visa program The Chinese website of the United States reported that the U.S. State Department has introduced new policies to restrict the controversial J-1 exchange visa program, suspending...

The U.S. State Department strictly investigates and restricts the J-1 visa program. The U.S. Chinese website reported that the U.S. State Department has introduced new policies to restrict the controversial J-1 exchange visa program and suspend new visas to support employers. This visa helps thousands of foreign students come to the United States to do temporary work. According to the Associated Press, the State Council announced new regulations on Monday (November 7). The authorities introduced restrictive policies on J1 visas due to multiple media reports that many foreign students supported by this visa were forced to work in strip clubs or engage in low-level menial jobs for $1 an hour. Students holding this temporary visa are required to have a job, and they often work in resorts and restaurants. The J-1 visa has grown rapidly, with approximately 20,000 students participating in 1996, reaching a peak of more than 150,000 students in 2008. In the past decade, approximately 1 million foreign college and university students have participated in this visa program. The visa program was originally intended to promote cultural exchange and enhance understanding between students from the United States and other countries. But as the project grew, problems continued, and a large number of complaints were received. The State Department has revised its rules this summer to require more responsibility from the 53 officially designated visa support agencies. "However, despite these new rules, the number of complaints remains unacceptably high, including inappropriate job placements, fraudulent employment, job cancellations upon participants' arrival in the United States, inappropriate work hours, and housing and transportation issues," the State Department said Monday. "To ensure these issues are appropriately addressed, the State Department is continuing to rigorously review the summer jobs program and administrative regulations." The most visible complaint came in August, when dozens of workers on this visa working at a Hersey chocolate factory in Pennsylvania protested poor and exploitative working conditions, excessive physical labor and minimal pay. Such problems have been occurring for many years, but as the U.S. economy weakens, foreign students are being exploited even more seriously, and the salaries they earn are not enough to pay for agents to come to the United States. Media reports include a female student who was told to work at a restaurant in Virginia, but after coming to the United States, she was beaten and forced to work as a stripper in Detroit. The visa program attracts millions of visa sponsors and third-party labor recruitment agencies. Local businesses in the United States can save 8% on labor costs by hiring foreign students because they do not have to pay health insurance, Social Security and unemployment taxes. Many businesses say they need seasonal labor to meet demand during the peak tourist season.