They each paid two grand for a class they were going to blow off to look for jobs? Okaaaay. Jeez, it'll nice if that's the case, but I hope if this is true these guys aren't going to be looking for jobs in the financial sector.
This doesn't wash: If staying in New York, there'd be credit card activity at hotels and restaurants. Is it likely that all 11 have "relatives" in the US? If so, it should be pretty easy to track down these "relatives." And as you say, the job hunting numbers don't add up.