Fortress America

Reversing the brain drain?

India has now become the second largest source of students in the US, overtaking Japan and just behind China. In 2001, the number of Indian students headed to the US was 54,664, against China’s 59,939. However, these are pre-Sept 11 figures and the question is whether these trends are likely to be reversed as a result of America becoming a fortress. President Bush has stated that legal migrants will not be discouraged. After all, the US was built on migrant resources! But visa rules are indeed being tightened up. Immigration laws have not been changed and part of what is proposed is actual implementation of immigration reform passed by the Congress in 1996.

There are two strands to this. First, there was a proposal to start automated entry-exit registration systems. The US is the only major country where exit is not stamped on passports. Although there are entry and exit cards, data from these are not fed in and it is unsurprising that 40 per cent of visitors overstay their permits. Nor are such violations penalised: the Mohammed Atta case only proves the point. The FBI or State Department criminal lists are also not shared with the Immigration and Naturalisation Services and hence there are suggestions about reforming INS and tightening up procedures at the 301 entry points - land, sea and air. The second 1996 proposal concerns the Student Exchange Visitor Information System, to be maintained by universities on the Internet, with information on defaulting students furnished to the government. Universities resisted implementation because overseas students represent a major source of revenue. But pressure to implement SEVIS will now mount. The only new law so far is the anti-terrorism bill, which can adversely affect rights of visitors and immigrants.
Proposals like the six-month freeze on student visas have been shot down. But there are others, like the 30-day waiting period for visa applicants and inclusion of biometric data on visas, which may be implemented. While procedural and documentation requirements will increase, there isn’t need for genuine students to panic.