Complicating the Journey: New Hurdles for International Students

In the name of security, our country is discouraging international students

by Karen Edwards, assistant dean for international student affairs

Karen Edwards, assistant dean for international student affairs, advises 130 Wooster students from 35 nations on government regulations and cultural transitions. Wooster has enrolled international students since 1878 and has actively recruited them since 1973. US News and World Reports College Guide, 2001 edition, listed Wooster among the top 25 national liberals arts colleges for the percentage of international students enrolled.

Just hours after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, I stood before a gathering of some hundred international students enrolled at the College. A young man from Myanmar asked me how this horrific event might affect his ability to travel and study in the United States. More then two years later, we are still learning how to answer his question.

Foreign citizens studying in the United States are classified as non-immigrants, with visas that limit the length and purpose of their stay. More legislative action has been taken on non-immigrant issues since September 11 than in the previous ten years combined. Policy changes have created barriers that discourage well-meaning visitors who previously were treated as guests of goodwill. My role as adviser has been altered by additional reporting responsibilities, and the journey for international students has become far more complicated.

Some of the changes placed on the fast track since September 11 can be very positive for our country as well as for visitors from abroad. The now-defunct Immigration and Naturalization Service was woefully behind in processing foreign visitors, so he Department of Homeland Security’s desire for "real-time" information is welcome. The technological aspects of the Student and Exchange Visitor Informa-tion System (SEVIS) – electronic tracking of all foreign students in the U.S. – were long overdue.

A number of directives, however, could be considered reactive and short-sighted, serving mostly to discourage potential international students. The visa application fee has doubled. The State Department has been authorized to scrutinize student visa applicants who will study "sensitive" fields. The National Security Entry-Exit Registration System allowed for thirty-day waiting periods for background checks prior to issuing student visas, but thirty days often extends to one hundred days or more. As a result, students may miss an entire semester or lose a valuable assistantship. The State Department has initiated more aggressive expectations for more face-to-face interviews for student visas. The Department of Homeland Security has proposed an additional $100 student fee to finance SEVIS.

Once students arrive here, things are still more difficult. They encounter additional bureaucratic hurdles when they apply for a social security card, open a bank account, or secure a driver’s license. SEVIS requires real-time reporting each time they register for classes, change their address, and declare or change their major. The Patriot Act, passed in November 2001, waived confidentiality rights for the purposes of SEVIS and made it risky for international visitors to practice free speech through political protest. he Department of Homeland Security placed SEVIS under Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which is responsible for investigations, detentions, intelligence and removal, rather than Customs and Immigration Service. The move sends a message that the government’s first priority is enforcement, not service.

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