2018 2018: Professor Scharf Talks with WGBH Radio About J-1 Visa Students

Professor Scharf discussed the temporary nature of the J-1 visa program and how it can lead to abuse by employers

UMass Law Professor Irene Scharf was interviewed by Boston’s local NPR station on the J-1 visa program. Professor Scharf, who directs UMass Law’s Immigration Litigation Clinic, addressed the temporary nature of the program and how the program can lead to abuse by employers, especially when businesses are strapped for workers during the busy summer months. Professor Scharf’s interview was part of WGBH Radio’s series about Cape Cod's hidden student workforce and why so many J-1 students end up working on the Cape and Islands over the summer.

As Professor Scharf explained, "It’s not surprising that the students on this program have raised issues of overwork and underpay, because the employers need the workers, and they’re trying to pay the lowest wage they can pay.” Scharf then discussed that she thought the program’s purpose had strayed away from being what it was originally intended to be, a cultural exchange. "To take this program and now say you have teenagers, youngsters, able to come for three, maximum four months to work during an intense summer period does not comport with the original intent of the J-Visa program. It doesn’t at all."

To listen to the interview, visit:  https://www.wgbh.org/news/local-news/2018/08/29/cape-businesses-look-to-j-1-visa-students-to-fill-a-labor-need