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Concerns about lengthy international student visa delays prompted several U.S. universities and higher education organizations to seek assistance from the federal government. On June 17, education groups wrote to US Secretary of State Colin Powell outlining the difficulties that international students face in obtaining visas.
Foreign visitors seeking a visa to visit the United States must attend an interview at one of the country's consulates. Foreign students attempting to attend the University may have to wait months for an interview, preventing them from beginning classes on time. Recognizing the delays, the US State Department sent a memo to consulate offices urging them to expedite visa screening for international students. University officials and national educators who work with international students say the measure is insufficient. They claim that issues with the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System, combined with the mandatory interview policy, continue to stymie the process.
Andrea Scott, a University graduate school admissions director, believes it is not the solution. It's only one step.
According to Scott, there are indications that foreign students may choose schools in other English-speaking countries to avoid the new State Department barriers. According to the University, there were 3,350 international students enrolled in 2002, with the majority of them being graduate students. According to data released in April, the Graduate School saw a 24% decrease in international student applications this year compared to last.
Kay Thomas, director of office, stated that she is aware of the issues firsthand. We're still getting so many of these calls that people are getting stuck, said Thomas.
When students receive a letter of acceptance from a university, they usually go to a U.S. consulate office for a visa interview. SEVIS, the federal international visitor tracking system, should already have the student registered. International students, on the other hand, are frequently Calling the international student services office to report registration issues.
International student services advisers seeking assistance contact the SEVIS help desk, but they frequently face long waits, according to Thomas. It's just horrifying. Because that piece isn't working, it clogs the phone lines, according to Thomas.
Communicating with US consulates around the world is also difficult, according to Thomas, especially given time zone differences. Because of the high volume of visa requests, the US consulate offices are not answering or returning phone calls, according to Thomas. Embassies have fewer people working on visa interviews, causing fewer visa applications to be processed on time, according to Barry Toiv, a spokesman for the Association of American Universities.
Toiv stated that there is a better understanding of the specific challenges we face. However, (US consulates) require more resources.
