Student visa regulations relaxed

Federal regulations passed last week will reduce obstacles to entry and study in the United States — a relief to some foreign graduate students at the University.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced Friday that students and researchers in some technical fields who have a certain type of visa can now obtain security clearances of four years. Under previous regulations students were required to reapply annually and every time they reentered the country.

Visa requirements for undergraduate students are not affected by this change.

"If a graduate student went back for a wedding or holiday or to present a paper, they'd sometimes have to wait months to get their [reentry] visa cleared," said Diane Jones, director of the Office of Government Affairs for the University.

The long wait for security clearance also led to a backlog of applicants for visas, Jones said.

The change will be greatly felt by students from Russia and China. Previously, these visas had to be renewed every six months, said Mary Idzior, who directs visa services for the University.

"I haven't gone home since 2002," said Weining Man, a Chinese graduate student in the physics department and president of the Council of International Graduate Students. "I couldn't afford being delayed for a long time [trying to regain entry into the United States]."

Difficulties in gaining visa clearance also affect travel for academic purposes, she said.

"A lot of graduate students that I know have trouble going to England or Japan for a conference because of having to reapply for visas," Man said.

Long waits for a reentry visa sometimes lead to the classification of graduate students as inabsentia, Redman said, effectively placing them on leave.

The University has been involved in lobbying for changes in foreign student visa requirements. Last spring, President Tilghman and members of the Board of Trustees met with Director of Homeland Security Tom Ridge to discuss easing restrictions on foreign students.

Jones said visa approval has seemed easier recently. "There was a hint in Science magazine, and based on how soon some students' visas got approved, it almost seemed to indicate an unofficial change last summer," Jones said. "But we didn't hear anything from the State Department until this announcement."

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The new regulation affects visas obtained through the Visas Mantis program, which was established in 1998 to manage security clearance of foreign students in technical subjects.

Heightened security concerns in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks led to stricter visa restrictions for students in several fields of study, including architecture and biology, Jones said.

National groups such as the Association of American Universities and the National Association in Advancement of Science have recently lobbied the Departments of Homeland Security and State to cut down on the waiting period for obtaining a visa.