Student visas problem Essay Example for Free

Student visas problem Essay Abstract American by no means is the world’s superpower. The country is very advanced in many aspects like education, technology, business and Research with prestigious learning institutions like the renowned Harvard University. For these reasons student across the globe strive to come to the US and get their education from here. In most cases the various graduates of the American colleges and Universities always stand a higher chance of getting employment into their careers. Graduates from the American educational system are highly regarded as extremely qualified and can also be integrated by employers anywhere in the world. (http://www. hothousemedia. com) Unfortunately most foreign students who come to the US on student Visas end up not pursuing education but take advantage of the various loopholes to remain in the country illegally. With the increased issue about terrorism, most terrorist have taken advantage of the student visas to gain entry into the American Soil where they pursue their own terrorist activities that endanger the lives of the Americans: for example one of the terrorist involved with the 9/11 attack is said to have been a student on such a Visa. For this particular reason the authorities in American have tightened the rules and regulations that govern the acquisition of these Visas. To acquire a student visa today is extremely difficult than before and many aspiring students are denied the opportunity to study in the US because of these restrictions. However, from the American point of view it is justifiable because the security of the country comes first before anything else. (www. unitedstatesvisas. gov). The students on the other hand are not able to understand these issues, and more or less view it as one of the hindrance of them acquiring the much sought after American Education. To acquire the student visas the American immigration department has comprehensively undertaken the task of educating the â€Å"would-be American students† of the requirements for one to acquire the visas. Unfortunately the students do not sometimes understand the requirements thus fail in acquiring these important items. The students may not also know the laws governing the student visas; the immigration rules in the US are rated as some of the strictest and specific, thereby shutting out many aspiring students. Introduction Millions of foreign students are always fighting to get a place in the American academic institutions. The quality of education in the US is highly regarded across the globe which assures anyone a very promising career development. Prior to the September 11 attack, the acquisition of the American student visa was not as difficult as it is today, which has become a nightmare not only for students but businessmen and women including tourists. (http://www. businessweek. com) Most of the challenges that the students face come from the lack of clear understanding of the rules and regulations surrounding the visas. However, the regulations that govern the visa application are extremely punitive and innocent students are left out. This paper is going to discuss some of the difficulties faced by these students. The application process The first major challenge the students face in acquiring the Visa are the various rules and regulations that one has to understand before applying. Students are required to pay a non-refundable fee of $131, which does not necessarily guarantee one of getting the Visa in the first place. This fee is very prohibitive because not so many students can be able to afford it especially bearing in mind it is never refunded if the visa application is not successful. (http://www. businessweek. com) Part of the Visa application process involves an interview with the US Embassy or consulate where further screening is done on the students to ascertain the authenticity of their application. To secure the interview posses greater challenges, this is because depending on the months that one is applying, one is bound to get appointments that might jeopardize the scheduled dates of joining the university or college. It requires the students to start making the applications very early because the appointments can be as far as one month depending on the applications made. Even after acquiring the appointment the students go through various screening processes that maybe dehumanizing especially to the innocent students. Such screening processes include frisking, and finger printing, besides the interview itself. Many students fail to acquire the visa because they fail on various technicalities that they were not clearly made aware of. Sometimes it is extremely difficult to clearly understand the criteria used to award visas, in fact most of the time one considers him/herself lucky to pass the interview. Thus it is not what one has but the mood of the interviewer that matters. There are many cases where students with almost similar backgrounds have varied outcomes on the application; while one may get the other may miss out. The student is never given the opportunity to lobby for a consideration as the word of the interviewer is regarded as final. Therefore the visa application process is always shrouded in mystery, where there are no clear guidelines on who gets the visa or who doesn’t. Therefore one is not really sure that they will pass or fail. Many students after failing the rigorous tests become very discouraged and they are affected psychologically because of the high expectations they had. (Mashiur Rahaman) One of the best solutions for this problem is to educate the students on the visa application process; thereby the students are fully aware of the various pitfalls that they need to overcome and every single detail that is required for the visa process to be successful. To secure an appointment for an interview in a particular embassy is not necessarily a difficult task because all this can be done on-line. However the embassies get busy in July through August and most students may miss out because of the schedules that are fixed by the embassies. ( http://www. bridgeport. edu ) The students who fail in these interviews end up losing the $131 fee and to secure another interview they require a similar amount. This is a very big challenge and the fee should be refundable or just a part of it so that the students can secure other appointments. Students from poor families end up losing their lively-hoods yet they don’t acquire the much-sought document. The U. S embassies should have clear and specific guidelines on the criteria used which should never be shrouded in any form of mystery where a student can out rightly tell if they are qualified or not. (http://www. cnsnews.com). Another challenge that the students undergo in the visa application process, is the requirement that they should provide proof that they will not go to the U. S for other purposes and that they are capable of supporting themselves when they get there. The students or guidance are required to show proof of there bank accounts which are supposed to hold a certain amount of money for a period of time. Many instances students are able to finance there own education by working part time. In any case this requirement means that only the rich stand the chance of getting the American education. Because of the many restrictions students end up cheating in their documents and providing incorrect information. ( http://www. bridgeport. edu ) Once a student has successfully acquired the visa, another problem sets in; one needs to pay for the visa. The amounts are very prohibitive bearing in mind that one needs to pay for the education, airfare, accommodation, and other important materials. Therefore by the time one settles down in the U. S, if you are lucky enough you are poorer than you came in. (http://www. cnsnews. com) Once in the U.S, to ever get the opportunity to go back home to be with your family is almost next to impossible. This is because the chances of ever being accommodated back are very slim. There are many cases of students being delayed for up to 1 year when they want to come back for what is termed as security screening. Students from the Muslim world have to go through harrowing experiences for them to ever go back to the U. S after their holidays. (http://www. cnsnews. com) It is often advisable to stick in the U. S for as long as you are in college unless you want to waste time and money with the immigration. One should forget for a long while of ever going back home for up to 4 years. Students with tight family ties end up suffering a lot. (http://www. cnsnews. com) Conclusion The terrorism issue has gone a long way in making it harder for innocent students to pursue their dreams in the U. S. It is quite understandable of the strict rules that the visa application processes attract, because any loophole would be greatly exploited by the terrorists who do not discriminate in there harmful activities. Students have to bear the brunt of terrorism. It also important for the students to be fully aware of the visa requirements before starting the process, this will enable them avoid any eventual disappointment. Works Cited Fred Lucas: CNSNews. com Staff Writer: 10,000 Saudi Students on US Campuses Retrieved on 17th May 2008 from http://www. cnsnews. com/ViewNation. asp? Page=/Nation/archive/200702/NAT20070216a. html February 16, 2007 UnitedStatesVisas. gov: Studying in the U. S: Retrieved on 17th May 2008 from www. unitedstatesvisas. gov/studying. html US Visas: Retrieved on 17th May 2008 from: http://www.hothousemedia. com/etm/etmbackissues/septetm04/septetm04feature. htm BusinessWeekOnline: Foreign MBA. Students Beware: Retrieved on 17th May 2008 from http://www. businessweek. com/bschools/content/dec2001/bs2001126_8956. htm December 6, 2001 Applying for a Student Visa (useful tips):Retrieved on 17th May 2008 from http://www. bridgeport. edu/pages/2342. asp Mashiur Rahaman: Malaysia offers UK and US degrees at half the cost: Retrieved on 17th May 2008 from http://www. dailytimes. com. pk/default. asp? page=2007%5C09%5C26%5Cstory_26-9-2007_pg7_26.