Restrictions on one federal program dealing with foreign students and researchers who enter the United States may soon be relaxed, but the changes would not affect anyone at AU.
The Visas Mantis program, which began in January 1998, checks out international students and scholars involved in more than 200 fields of study before allowing them to get visas. These fields, such as nuclear technology, are deemed to be "sensitive." Other fields, which could have dual-uses like chemical engineering, are also considered sensitive.
However, AU students do not fall under the Mantis program because AU is a liberal arts institution and does not offer any of the "sensitive" areas of study, according to Fanta Aw, AU's director of International Student Services.
Currently, Mantis visas are only good for one year. Since most students attend American colleges for longer, this creates hardship, hassle, and sometimes delays in their education.
The State Department, along with the Homeland Security Department, which carries out the security clearances, is now working toward an extension of the Mantis visas for foreign students, The Chronicle of Higher Education reported.
"If a person is coming into the country for the exact same purpose as a few months ago, do we really need to do another full-bore check?" C. Stewart Verdery Jr., Homeland Security's assistant secretary for Border and Transportation Security and Planning, told Science magazine.
State Department officials did not return phone calls for comment.
Technology-based colleges, such as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, will be more deeply affected by these particular changes, Aw said. AU's international students are fingerprinted, photographed, and require a visa, but do not undergo the intensive screening of the Mantis program.
Since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, it has been difficult for foreign students to enter the United States because of a series of reforms and new laws meant to prevent potential terrorists from entering the country.
After 9/11, the Mantis program expanded its range to a large degree.
From 2001 to 2002, the number of foreign academics and students subject to Mantis checks "grew significantly," the State Department Web site said. No specific figures were listed.
"At any given moment" there are between 1,500 and 2,000 applicants waiting to be reviewed before they can enter the United States, the Web site said.
A final decision about the possible visa extensions will be made within the next few weeks, but it is believed that they may be extended for the entire duration of a student's education or a scholar's work.
In addition to the Mantis check, further specialized clearance is needed for students and scholars working in sensitive fields and from countries deemed "state sponsors of terrorism" by the State Department. Terrorism sponsors include Cuba, Iran, Iraq, Libya, North Korea, Sudan and Syria.
"Security is, and will continue to be, the top priority in the processing of visas for international visitors," Janice L. Jacobs, the State Department's deputy assistant secretary for visa services told a House of Representatives committee in March, according to the State Department Web site.
"At the same time, the State Department is keenly aware of the need to balance national security interests with other strategic interests such as promoting scientific and academic exchange and the overall health of our economy," she said.
