New US Visa Guidelines
for Students
Washington, DC: The
US Department of Homeland Security on Tuesday issued new
guidelines for about 200,000 foreign students and exchange
visitors expected to arrive in the United States for the
spring semester.
The policy is particularly important for countries like
Pakistan that send hundreds of students to the US but have
been discouraged by the tightening of visa restrictions
after the Sept 11 terrorist attacks.
The new guidelines are intended to ensure "quick processing
of legitimate students" at US ports of entry. The department
has also posted a comprehensive list of answers to frequently
asked questions about the new Student Exchange and Visitor
Information System, better known by its acronym SEVIS. The
answers can be read at two DHS Web sites, ice.gov and cbp.gov.
SEVIS is a web-based program that maintains information
on international students with F/M visas and exchange visitors
with J visas. It also applies to their dependents residing
in the US and is administered by the US Immigration and
Customs Enforcement's Student Exchange and Visitor Program.
US Customs and Border Protection officers also use the new
system for processing student and exchange visitors visas
at ports of entry. Michael J. Garcia, DHS Assistant Secretary
for ICE, urged all students, exchange visitors, and school
and program administrators to review the program requirements
and "take responsibility for making sure their records
are updated and correct."
"The failure to do so may lead to denial of entry into
the United States and may adversely affect their academic
programs," warned an immigration lawyer Fauzia Shah.
Students who come to the United States legally but somehow
fail to update their records in SEVIS "may end up on
the wrong side of the law," she said.
International students must register with SEVIS within 30
days of the issue date on their visa, or the system designates
their program as cancelled. They must also report all transfers
and changes within the specified period.
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