INS enacts harsher punishments for international students

Regulations on international students are getting stricter, making life a little more difficult for students and administrators.\nThe Immigration and Naturalization Service is requiring international students to identify whenever they change majors, change address or transfer institutions, among other things. \nNew regulations also put tighter restrictions on student jobs. International students, who cannot work off-campus except under strict regulations, can only work up to 20 hours on-campus during the fall and spring semesters. Though the rules haven't changed, the punishments have, said Lynn Schoch, the associate director of the office of international services. \n"With the tracking system the rules are being enforced more rigorously," Schoch said. "There are fewer opportunities to fix errors. We are imagining the SEVIS computer to be somewhat like a credit bureau."\nBut the consequences can be much greater than not getting a new car or home mortgage.\nSEVIS is a nationwide computer-based system that all accredited U.S. universities must now use to track international students.\nIf a student works more than 20 hours a week, for instance, the computer would red \nflag the student to the INS. The repercussions, which vary, could include suspension and deportation. \n"(Advisers are) updating us more," said graduate student Nancy Alemán. "They keep us more informed about what is going on now."\nDiscussion about changing the tracking system for student visas first came-up after the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. One of the men involved was in the U.S. on an expired student visa. \nRegulations were made but soon forgotten partly due to a lack of funding. \nThen came Sept. 11.\nStudent visas were again an issue following the terrorist attacks. The earlier regulations and deadlines were revived, and universities were again required to use SEVIS.\nThough post-Sept. 11 legislation has drawn out the application process, heightened tensions are making it harder for some students to get visas. Only 2 percent of foreigners stay in America on student visas.\nThe largest majority of foreigners stay on B-visas, issued for business or vacation purposes. The second largest percentage of visas are issued to students and scholars, Schoch said.\n"Students are here for a long time while B-visitors are generally here for no longer than 3 months," he said. "It does make some sense for the INS to be looking at tracking."\nTwo of the 19 Sept. 11 hijackers were in the United States on a student visa.\n"It's a population easily found," said Chris Foley, senior associate director of admissions of international students. "It seems like it is a population they can do something about, and they already had a plan in place prior to Sept. 11."\nBut some national institutions are questioning the need for such intense focus on international students.\nOrganizations, such as Open Doors -- Institute for International Education and NAFSA: Association of International Educators, advocate for international education exchange and the promotion of it.\n"There are so many more people that come in on other visas," said Sharon Witherell, spokeswoman for Open Doors -- Institute of International Education. "… We would think they would also want to focus on the regular people who walk in everyday who haven't gone through the process of being accepted to college."\nSchoch said in the long term the computer-based system should make things easier for international students, but one problem is that the system allows for no error.\n"We want them to make reports that will reflect well," Schoch said. "If we make a mistake we might be able to fix it but the original record will still be there."\nFixing these errors could be costly and time-consuming for students, Schoch said, leaving a return home the only option for some students.\n"It is quite different to get a student visa," Schoch said. "If I want to be a terrorist in the U.S. I wouldn't look at the student visa approach. There seems to me to be a lot easier ways."\nSEVIS is still in the implementation stage, and benefits are likely to happen in the long-term, Schoch said. From the logistical side, it could make life easier for international students, he said.\n"If you have everything they require of you you're fine," Alemán said.