Work & Travel setback lands students in debt

 

 

An opportunity for students to make money in the United States turned sour after about 80 temporary foreign worker hopefuls were denied that chance despite reportedly paying thousands of U.S dollars to a travel agency.

 

After the company reportedly failed to deliver on its promise, several students were left in debt, causing them to almost miss Semester 1 of the 2024/25 academic year.

 

The students are now awaiting promised refunds.

 

First Rio, which has been registered since 2020, says its mandate is to pair students and young professionals with employers in the United States and Canada under various employment programmes. 

 

Shannice Roper says a few months after registering for the 2024 work period in 2023 everything fell through for the 80 participants, despite paying the full programme fee of US$1,670, in addition to the US$210 embassy appointment fee.

 

She explained that on June 4, 2024, the sponsor informed the prospective participants via a mass email, "that they are cancelling our DS 2019 (the document used by the US State Department to administer the Exchange Visitor Programme) because the J1 Programme did not send over our money to them."

 

The J 1 Visa facilitates the cultural and educational exchange programme in the United States under which the students were hoping to travel to that country.

 

Other students have not been able to work since 2022.

 

The students say the situation has worsened, since the funds were loaned by family members or agencies, causing them to incur interest and late fees. 

 

Ms Roper, is now more than US$2,000 in debt.

 

With most students using the programme to cover school fees and other related expenses, University of the Commonwealth Caribbean student, Kerene Jones, nearly missed out on semester 1.

 

"I didn't have the money to pay the tuition. If the Students Loan (Bureau) didnt change the policy, where a guarantor was needed, I honestly don't know how this semester would have worked out for," she admitted, adding that she also had to shift from a full-time to part-time arrangement with the university, because of the need to work extra hours to cover other expenses such as housing and food.

 

All calls by Radio Jamaica News to the owner, Christelle Bernard, and the agency's landlines have gone unanswered. 

 

The office was closed when we visited after opening hours Tuesday morning.

 

In an hour-long video obtained by Radio Jamaica News on August 24, 2024, Miss Bernard attributed the programme's failure to "spiritual interference." 

 

Since then, the students say she has not made contact. 

 

The matter has been reported to the police and the fraud squad but the students say the authorities have been dragging their feet. 

 

Some are also considering litigation but are worried about the cost.

 

Through the J1 summer programme, students can earn $10,000 to $25,000.

 

As of July 2024, First Rio is no longer listed among the agencies approved to place persons in jobs overseas on the Labour Ministry's website - which is revised monthly. 

 

A representative from the Ministry confirmed that no document has been submitted for further renewal.