DOS Efforts to Assist Students
Posted Jan 07, 2005
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The U.S. Department of State (DOS) issued a cable to the consular managers worldwide with the subject line "We Don't Want to Lose Even One Student." This cable congratulated the consulates on their efforts in assisting students and exchange visitors to obtain visas over the summer. The cable directs the consulates to make student and exchange visitor visa appointments a priority. The consulates are directed to establish a system for expedited appointments, where necessary, and publicize the availability of the expedited appointments.
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The consulates are instructed to engage in outreach activities with student and academic groups to inform them that the United States welcomes students. This cable appears to be a reaction to some of the negative press and impressions that exist with respect to problems faced by foreign students trying to get visas following 9/11. The inability of students to obtain visas in a timely manner, or at all, has been a great concern within the academic community. The matter has been widely reported in the press, such as in the CNN article, International Student Enrollment Slows in U.S. Academic institutions across the country include information on their websites pertaining to visa delays and denials. An example is Harvard's Website. The National Association of Foreign Student Advisors (NAFSA) issued a survey in Fall 2004 indicating declines in new international enrollments, both at the graduate and undergraduate levels. The survey received responses from 480 educational institutions, thus it represents a broad cross section of the academic world. These declines are attributed to problems, perceived and real, in the U.S. visa process and perceptions of the manner in which foreign students are regarded in the United States at this time. Information about the survey is available on NAFSA's Website.
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At The Law Office of Sheela Murthy, P.C., we are pleased to see that the importance of foreign students to our universities and our country is being recognized. With the use of improved technology, organization, and coordination, bona fide foreign students should be able to enter the United States to pursue their educations. Otherwise, they will take their minds, their money, and their contributions elsewhere.