State Department Slowly Easing Visa Obstacles for Foreign Students by Carolyn Cosmos The State Department and the Department of Homeland Security are making visa applications less onerous for foreign students and visiting scholarsóand the relief arrives not a moment too soon, government and academic officials say. The changes arrive in the wake of widespread complaints that post-9/11 security scrutiny and a visa clampdown have strangled American science programs and shut out talented international students and researchers. However, experts also point to modest improvements made over the last year, including a recent change in student and scholar visa procedures announced by the State Department on Feb. 11. So what is the alarm all about? As a result of higher visa barriers, foreign student applications to universities in the United States have dramatically gone down, some visiting scholars have been barred, and major scientific meetings have been moved to other countries. Last year, according to a Dec. 21 account in the New York Times, foreign student applications to U.S. graduate schools dropped 28 percent as a result of visa and security hurdles, while s imilar enrollments surged in England and Germany. Canadian and Australian universities have also seen increased student applications. With the European Union and other nations actively lobbying to compete with U.S. universities, and as more and more students and experts seek educational opportunities elsewhere, experts worry that the ìbrain drainî will threaten Americaís dominance in the realm of international higher education. In its Feb. 11 announcement, the U.S. State Department said that F visas for international students who have gone through a security clearance could now be valid for up to four years without the student having to go through repeat checks or long delays in re-entryódelays that in the past could derail a course of study. This means that if a student goes home for the summer and the original visa has expired, another security clearance, known as the ìvisas mantis,î may be required to continue studies here. This extension of visa validity also applies to exchange visitors (J visas), temporary workers (H visas), intra-company transferees (L visas), and tourist and business visitors (B visas). ìWhat we have had are a series of [visa and security] policies that had existed from 1998, but converged with the creation of the Department of Homeland Security,î said Helen Robertson, director of international student and scholar services at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. ìTwo years ago we witnessed the worst of it, with massive delays in getting student visas. Students would go abroad for the summer and their return would be delayed for months, some up to a year. That can be devastating if youíre a graduate student. Some lost assistantships; some lost jobs.î Additionally, Robertson said that after Sept. 11, 2001, students have had increased difficulty producing the required proof that they do not intend to stay in the United States permanently. As young people without spouses, children, property or substantial bank accounts, thatís hard to demonstrate, she explained, and with a student visa, ìby law officials have to deny the visa if they believe a person is not likely to return home.î Other barriers, she said, include the requirement that everyone applying for a visa ìnow has to appear for an in-person interview, which has created an appointment backlogî; the name-check process where an individualís name is checked against lists of known criminals or terrorists, which can require research and has largely been done manually; and, for students or scholars in certain ìsensitiveî science and technology fields, a visas mantis clearance. The affected mantis fields, which include biomedical research, munitions technology and almost all areas of physics, are part of a government technology alert list. Students and scholars from certain countries have been ìparticularly hard hit,î Robertson said, including China, India and countries of the Middle East. Students and advanced researchers in the sciences have been the hardest hit of all. Others confirm Robertsonís account. Some students and scholars ìhave given up tryingî to study or conduct research in the United States, said Amy Flatten, director of international affairs at the American Physical Society in College Park, Md. At George Washington University, many international students trying to continue their studies ìgot caught upî in the crackdown and, if they left the country to visit families or travel, ìhad to apply for new visas, which took a long time,î said Susan DíAmico, the current co-director of the universityís International Services Office. Barrett Ripin, the State Departmentís Science Diplomacy Officer, agreed. ìYes, [the post-9/11 restrictions have] caused angst and problems,î particularly for scientists in some countries and for males in certain age groups. However, ìitís absolutely true that the United States has benefited from having students from around the world come to the U.S. for their education,î Ripin added, emphasizing that the State Department has been working to address the concerns. The hit on the sciences and U.S. technology has created particular alarm, and in May 2004, a group of 21 science and education associations made a joint statement submitted to the State Department and the Department of Homeland Security that recommended immediate and long-range changes. ìVisa-related problems are discouraging and preventing the best and brightest international students, scholars, and scientists from studying and working in the United States, as well as attending academic and scientific conferences here and abroad,î the statement said, according to an article by Flatten that was published in Physics Today. ìIf action is not taken soon to improve the visa system, the misperception that the United States does not welcome international students, scholars, and scientists will grow, and Ö the damage to our nationís higher education and scientific enterprises, economy, and national security would be irreparable.î Although there are no current studies addressing this problem, ìthere is anecdotal evidence that things have been improving,î Flatten said. Catholic Universityís Robertson similarly told The Washington Diplomat that ìin the last year, issuance of [student and scholar] visas has improved. It hasnít taken as long as it did two years ago on the average.î ìMy experience is that things are significantly better. They added staff, improved the technologyÖ. The requests for security clearance are now automated. The State Department has made a tremendous effort,î added DíAmico of George Washington University. Partly as a result, her universityís international student applications went up 18 percent last fall. Robertson also attributed some of the improvements to automation being brought into visa processing, as well as increased collaboration between government agencies and academia. ìItís important that these agencies and higher education continue to work together,î she said. Angela Aggeler, spokeswoman for the State Departmentís Bureau of Consular Affairs, said increased automation through an enhanced database, better coordination and handling of name checks, and increased staffing of consular officers have, indeed, accounted for some of the noted changes. As a result, she said, ìA year ago, a visa mantis clearance took an average of 75 days, and now itís down to 14 days or less.î Aggeler also pointed out that all 211 visa-issuing posts have been asked to list on their Web sites the average visa wait time at that location. If visa applicants know they will have to do a mantis clearance, for instance, that individual can go to the Web site and find out how long it will likely take. Flatten recommended this visa Web check and noted several other steps student and scholar visa applicants, either new or continuing, can take to help themselves. She advised that all visa applicants apply at least three months before they need to travel. Additionally, if a science applicant has not received a response or decision within 30 days, that individual should visit the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) visa Web site and fill out the visa questionnaire. NAS tracks delays and can offer indirect visa assistance. The Web address is www.nationalacademies.org/visas. Flatten said for those already in the United States, ìtry to schedule your return interview at the appropriate consulateî before leaving to visit home, and ask that ìthe interview occur as soon as possible upon your arrival in your home county.î Ripin said the State Department has been concerned about these student and visa problems for some time: ìThen-Secretary [Colin] Powell considered it an important issue,î he said. Nevertheless, the recent extension of clearance time for visa mantis requests ìis a significant step forward,î he said, noting that the changes will assist not only those who want to come here for their education, but also improve the climate for scientific meetings in the United States. ìHowever,î Ripin added, ìthere is still room for improvement.î Carolyn Cosmos is a contributing writer for The Washington Diplomat.