TAMPA, Fla. — A sign on the front door of one Inlingua Language School campus may read, "Closed — will return," but in truth no one will be returning for the foreseeable future to any of the school's nine campuses in Florida, including locations in Tampa and Orlando.
- Records indicate school ceased operations November 8
- Teachers did not get paid, Students' tuition not reimbursed
- Student visas for international students jeopardized
Hundreds of students and faculty have been left without answers following the closure of all campuses.
“We left our countries, most of the people that are here, there’s a lot of dishonesty going on over there and you don’t think that’s going to happen in the U.S., but sure enough, the irony is there,” said former language teacher Fernanda Gea.
Gea started teaching at the Orlando campus in April.
“I haven't even been [at the school] that long and it's been a mess,” she said.
Conflicting messages
She says teachers initially got an email on October 21 informing them the school was closing. Then that message was corrected — they were told not to worry, that everything would be okay.
“And then the final email came again on November 4," Gea explained. "I think just saying, ‘Yeah, just kidding guys, the school is now permanently closed.’”
According to records, the school officially ceased to operate on November 8. Gea says the staff was told that the school went bankrupt after being involved in a lawsuit for some time.
Teachers did not get paid and students' tuition was not reimbursed.
“It makes me so angry, because I wish I had never gone back after the first email, you know?" Gea told us. "It just makes me feel very used!”
Student visas jeopardized
Many of the students were attending Inlingua in order to maintain their student visas.
Now, those students' future status in the U.S. is in jeopardy.
Gea says many of the teachers and students are all part of a WhatsApp chat, and that the conversation has turned fearful for some.
“They said that the students wouldn’t be impacted, that they would transfer their records," Gea said. "Some students are OK and got their I-20s renewed, but some students are still in limbo."
It's casting a dark cloud on the holiday season as students, many of whom are from Brazil, try to plan ahead with uncertainty.
“They all had plans to go back to Brazil and spend the holidays with their family, and now they’re unsure that if they go, will they be able to re-enter [the U.S.],” Gea said.
Other options for students?
We reached out to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, who oversees the Student and Exchange Visitor program.
They tell us students have options for maintaining their student status, as long as they transfer to a new school.
Though Inlingua is no longer operational, students will be able to access their records until December 10, 2018. During this time, they may seek a change of status, enroll in another qualified program of study at an SEVP certified school, or choose to leave the U.S.
They have put up further instructions for Inlingua students affected on their website at www.ice.gov/sevis/school-alerts.