IU adjusts to post Sept. 11 visa rules

Following Sept. 11, the U.S. visa system experienced a severe clampdown, creating problems throughout higher education.\nBut IU continues to dodge the bullet.\nPlanning ahead propelled this year's international student population to 3,333 from last year's 3,204. IU's accommodations for international students include early access to documents required for obtaining a visa. \n"This is an ongoing problem and one we are trying to get the Department of State to allocate more funds toward," said foreign student adviser Leslie Cadavid. "In the meantime we are trying to plan ahead and asking our students do the same."\nChristopher Viers, associate dean and director of International Services said he actually expected more problems entering the country.\n"Going into this summer, our staff was really poised to assist students who were experiencing difficulties receiving visas," he said. "We were surprised we didn't hear from more students having difficulty."\nPassage of new visa and security laws over the past two years, combined with the implementation of stricter regulations and enforcement throughout the visa process, means the nearly 600,000 international students studying at U.S. universities are at risk of not being able to return to their schools if they leave the country.\nMasters student Rupali Patwardhan is visiting IU from India and said since Sept. 11, the visa process is much more strict.\n"All first time applicants have to appear for an interview," Patwardhan said. "I had some problems, but overall the system worked and I am here."\nOn Oct. 29, 2001, President Bush issued a Homeland Security Presidential Directive designed "to help combat terrorism through more effective immigration policies and practices." \nThe provisions included prohibiting "certain international students from receiving education and training in sensitive areas." These areas included areas of study with direct application to the development and use of weapons of mass destruction.\nAccording to a statement issued by the U.S. State Department, "Responding to the attacks of September 11, 2001, the State Department, working with other U.S. Government agencies, has been engaged in an extensive and ongoing review of visa issuing practices as they relate to our national security."\nThe Homeland Security Act called for a bio-metric identifier, such as a fingerprint, on all passports by October 2004. In early May, this requirement was fast-tracked and is scheduled to start Jan. 1, 2004. The State Department's most recent move, allowing some visa applicants to skip interviewing in person at an embassy, is slated to ease the flood of personal interviews.\n-- Contact senior writer Mitch Blacher at mblacher@indiana.edu.