Penn State Intercom......March 6, 2003

Political climate has an
impact on international students

By Allison Kessler
Public Information

In today's post-Sept. 11 environment, Shauna Brace, genetics program administrator, makes sure any offer she sends to potential international students is sent out many months in advance.

"These days, incoming international students may have to wait three to six months secure their visas," she said. "That certainly impacts the recruitment process. Some new students have been delayed full semesters."

In addition to encouraging academic departments to make offers of admission to international students as soon as possible, the Office of International Programs now warns international students and scholars who plan to leave the country on expired visas to expect to run into extended delays when trying to return. In fact, the office strongly urges international students and scholars whose visas have expired to avoid overseas travel altogether unless they are prepared for an extended stay.

"Until we see evidence to the contrary, any student or scholar who is planning to travel and whose visa has expired should be prepared for a long stay," said James Lynch, director of International Students and Scholars. "Students can't count on traveling abroad with an expired visa and obtaining a new one to return to the United States in two weeks. The process of obtaining a visa is unpredictable and carries with it a significant possibility of major delays."

With 4,100 international students, both undergraduate and graduate, at every location in nearly every program at Penn State, faculty, staff and students across the University are feeling the impact of visa delays and new rules and regulations imposed by Immigration and Naturalization Services.

A new INS Internet-based tracking system known as SEVIS (Student Exchange Visitor Information System) eventually will tie all colleges and universities to all INS district offices, all ports of entry, all embassies and all consulates across the globe. Government officials created SEVIS to enforce INS regulations and enhance national security by making sure international students and scholars are doing what their visa status allows.

As such, international students and scholars must register with the University full time within a brief period of time at the onset of the semester. Full-time status must be maintained throughout the course of the semester. This always has been the case. If they fail to do so, however, international students and scholars will be reported to the INS and become subject to sanctions, including possible deportation.

New INS rules have effectively eliminated international students' ability to register for one credit semester after semester while writing a master's or doctoral thesis, for example. There are, however, some circumstances the INS views as legitimate reasons for under-enrollment. New regulations require that students receive approval from a designated school official -- at Penn State, these are foreign student advisers in the Office of International Students and Scholars -- before enrolling less than full time.

"The flexibility we once had has been reduced and will change what had once been common practice," Lynch said. "Many international students are going to have to graduate sooner or spend more money on tuition to maintain full-time status."

There are many other new requirements, such as "Special Registration" of nationals of designated countries at INS District Offices, too numerous to mention here. Though getting a handle on these new changes might be a difficult task, there is an important point to keep in mind. Working with international students and scholars in today's environment is much more complicated and the consequences of errors much more serious than in the past.

For more information, check the Web at http://www.international.psu.edu/international_students/ or call The Office of International Programs at (814) 865-7681.  

Allison Kessler can be reached at akessler@psu.edu

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