Problems increasing for international students

A backlog in processing foreign student visa applications is significant and increasing, a panel of experts told the U.S. House of Representatives' Science Committee at a March hearing. The panel also noted that a foreign-student tracking database developed by the government in response to the events of September 11, 2001, is riddled with serious problems. The hearing focused on foreign students, particularly graduate students, in science, math, and engineering. The government has given extra scrutiny to such students because of concerns that they could use their knowledge to commit acts of terrorism.

These problems harm American higher education and threaten the country's primacy in science, Shirley Tilghman, president of Princeton University, and David Ward, president of the American Council on Education, told the panel. Ward represented the positions of several higher education associations, including that of the AAUP.

Foreign students already admitted for study in the United States face months' long delays in re-entering the country if they leave to attend academic conferences or to visit their families, panel members said. In addition, consular officers are given little training as to which fields of scientific study may pose a security risk. The U.S. State Department program that evaluates the applications of those deemed by consular officers to merit extra scrutiny had a dramatic increase in cases, and in refusals, from 2001 to 2002.

"The visa problem is sometimes discussed as simply a problem for our universities that needs to be balanced against the need for security. But that's a distorted view. The reason for concern is that unnecessarily impeding the flow of students and scholars in and of itself can erode our national security," said Representative Sherwood Beohlert, chair of the committee, according to a statement released by the committee.

The Student Exchange and Visitor Information Service (SEVIS), developed by the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service to improve its ability to keep information on foreign students up to date, has also been plagued with technological problems. Many institutions attempting to use the system have reported glitches, including lost information and delays in processing forms, according to newspaper accounts, which have also reported incidents in which personal information about students from one institution has been transmitted inadvertently to other institutions. An initial January 2003 deadline set for colleges and universities to implement the new system was extended to August 2003.

Officials at Southeastern University in Washington, D.C., have suggested that a SEVIS error led to the arrest in March of a Thai student. Despite university attempts to correct the problem, the database incorrectly listed her as having dropped out. When federal agents came to her house to interview her, they learned that she was working in a restaurant, a violation of the terms of her visa. Officials believe that the database error brought her to the attention of federal officials, which a spokesperson for SEVIS has denied.

"Our system of higher education attracts students from all over the world, and it's critical that we don't let these problems damage our traditional openness, not only for the sake of foreign students but also for that of American students, whose education is broadened by international exchange," says Mark Smith, AAUP director of government relations.