DOOR COUNTY (NBC 26) — President Trump’s pause on visa interviews for students and other foreign workers is now in its fourth week. In Door county, many businesses rely on exchange visitors, many of these students, already on the job, have shared why they see it programs like these as important opportunity.
- J-1 students across the county are sharing their experiences in the program.
- Destination Door County reports data on international student employment in the area
- One student shared that she had to obtain her visa in a different country because the visa center in her home country was closed.
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story)
Medina Abdikul works at the High Point Inn in Ephraim.
“I just think it's a really great opportunity to improve yourself as a person," Abdikul said.
This is her first time participating in the J-1 Summer Work Travel program and her first experience being away from her family in Kazakhstan.
NBC26 SPOKE WITH J-1 STUDENTS ABOUT THEIR EXPERIENCES, WATCH BELOW:
Destination Door County says that this year, 556 foreign students are working in the area on J-1 visas.
“This is a really good experience that will help me in my future life. It just toughens you up and makes you stronger," Abdikul said.
According to Destination Door County, 86% of Wisconsin hospitality businesses report relying on immigrant labor, including participants in the Summer Work Travel program.
Anhelina Bozhko, on her first day at the High Point Inn, was meeting other students participating in the program.
“It's really interesting. We talk a lot about our cultures and the differences in how we live in our countries," Anhelina Bozhko
Anhelina says that she had to travel to Poland to obtain her visa, as the visa center in Ukraine is no longer operating due to the war.
South of Ephraim, in Sturgeon Bay, Luis Cornielle from the Dominican Republic is spending his second summer working in Door County.
“Sturgeon Bay, Waterfront Mary’s when I'm working there, it feels like home actually," Cornielle said.
What keeps him coming back year after year are the connections he’s made with locals.
“The locals here have treated me very nicely. We even go on dates, like to lunch and stuff. I feel like they're a part of me a part of my family.”
The students say they've enjoyed their time in the program so far but remain uncertain about returning next year, as it depends on the Trump administration and the state of the visa process.
