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Visa Delays and Fears of Visa
2007-08-04 14:04:08 来源：未知 |
Visa Delays and Fears of Visa Delays Remain Problems for Colleges, OfficialsTell Congress
Hurdles in the process for obtaining a visa to study in the United Statesare still keeping many international students away four years after theSeptember 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, witnesses said on Tuesday at aCongressional hearing on weaknesses in the visa system. Rep. Christopher Shays, a Connecticut Republican who is the chairman of theHouse of Representatives Subcommittee on National Security, EmergingThreats, and International Relations, scheduled the hearing to assess theprogress of reforming the visa-application process to prevent fraud and keepout terrorists.
Although discussion focused primarily on other visa issues, Mr. Shays saidsituations in which students are unable to study in the United Statesbecause of visa problems were "tragic." He asked witnesses what impact newvisa regulations have had on students. "There’s been evidence to suggest that students that we need for economicvitality for our country are going elsewhere," said Clark Kent Ervin,director of the Aspen Institute’s Homeland Security Initiative. When tighter visa regulations went into effect after the 2001 attacks,international students and college officials expressed concern about theirimpact. But even though steps have since been taken to streamline theprocess, many international students still worry about obtaining visas.
The perception that obtaining a visa to study in the United States isdifficult is a more serious problem than the actual wait caused by the visaprocess, said John Daniel Morris, a retired consul general for the UnitedStates in Beijing. It is often difficult to move beyond those perceptions, Mr. Morris said. Headded that U.S. diplomats in China have been working to correct thoseperceptions and interest more Chinese students in coming to the UnitedStates.
As a result, the number of Chinese students in the United States isexpected to increase this year, he said. Universities, students, and the economy suffer when foreign students choosenot to study in the United States, witnesses said. The nation also fails toestablish connections with students who may become business and politicalleaders in their native countries, Mr. Morris said. Delays in processing visas were longer when the new regulations first wentinto effect, and the delays remain long in the technology sector, said SusanGinsburg, a former senior counsel for the National Commission on TerroristAttacks Upon the United States, known as the 9/11 Commission.
The Departmentof Homeland Security and the State Department need more employees andresources to speed the process, she said. Increasing the use of computersand algorithms to identify potential terrorists could also speed theprocess, Ms. Ginsburg said. James J. Carafano, a senior fellow at the Heritage Foundation, said thatalthough terrorists could use student visas to enter the country, moststudents were not a threat and the government should focus more of itsefforts on high-risk applicants. International students help economicgrowth, and making the country economically strong is equally important asnational security, he said.
Milagros R. TanEducational AdviserPhilippine-American Educational Foundation10/F, Ayala Life-FGU Center6811 Ayala Avenue, Makati City 1226PhilippinesPhone: ++632-812-0945Fax: ++632-812-0822Website: www.paef.org.ph
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