Tuesday, November 07, 2006
[IWS] CRS: Foreign Students in the United States: Policies and Legislation [updated 11 October 2006]
IWS Documented News Service
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies----------------- Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations-------- Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor---------------------- Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016 -------------------------------Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________
Congressional Research Service (CRS)
Order Code RL31146
Foreign Students in the United States: Policies and Legislation
Updated October 11, 2006
Chad Christian Haddal, Analyst in Immigration Policy, Domestic Social Policy Division
http://opencrs.cdt.org/rpts/RL31146_20061011.pdf
[full-text, 18 pages]
Summary
Five years after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks by foreign nationals
including several terrorists on students visas the security concerns over foreign
student visas are being supplanted by competitiveness concerns. Potential foreign
students, as well as all aliens, must satisfy Department of State (DOS) consular
officers abroad and immigration inspectors upon entry to the United States that they
are not ineligible for visas under the so-called grounds for inadmissibility of the
Immigration and Nationality Act, which include security and terrorist concerns. The
consular officers who process visa applicants are required to check the National
Counterterrorism Centers (NCTC) automated lookout systems before issuing any
visa. In part because of these security measures, student visa debates have shifted
from security to market-based discussions.
Higher education institutions in the United States are concerned over their
ability to attract the numbers and quality of foreign students, and whether the new
post-September 11 security measures impede the entry of potential students into the
U.S. education system. The fields of science, technology, engineering and
mathematics (STEM) increasingly rely on foreign students, and these fields hold a
top priority with most research institutions. Furthermore, the U.S. economy has
shown a high demand for the skill-sets produced in these fields of study, and the
STEM students provide a crucial link between the academic community and the labor
market. Consequently, with the easing of security concerns, many groups in higher
education and the private sector are seeking to expand pathways for foreign students
to emigrate.
All nonimmigrant students are issued visas from one of three categories, and are
monitored and tracked by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The three
visa categories used by foreign students are F visas for academic study; M visas for
vocational study; and J visas for cultural exchange. The numbers admitted have
more than doubled over the past two decades. In FY1979, the total number of
foreign student and cultural exchange visas issued by DOS consular officers was
224,030 and comprised 4% of all nonimmigrant visas issued. In FY2005, DOS
issued 565,790 visas to F, J, and M nonimmigrants, making up 10.5% of all
nonimmigrant visas issued. The Student and Exchange Visitor Information System
(SEVIS) aims to manage the tracking and monitoring of foreign students.
Participation in the SEVIS program is now mandatory for all higher education
institutions enrolling foreign students.
Issues and legislation related to foreign students continue to arise. The funding
and English-language competency of foreign students have raised concerns with
some universities, advocacy groups, and other observers. Additionally, recent
legislation has focused on attracting foreign students in STEM fields. Legislation
passed in the Senate (S. 2611) would create pathways to citizenship for foreign
students in the STEM fields of study. Although there are provisions in this legislation
for undergraduate students, the major focus has been on students obtaining advanced
degrees. This report will be updated as warranted.
Contents
Background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Foreign Student Visas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
F Visa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
J Visa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
M Visa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Duration of Status Visa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Processing, Screening, and Reporting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Agency Involvement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Screening Procedures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Security Concerns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Trends and Characteristics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Current Issues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Foreign Students and Funding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Foreign Students and Language Competence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
New Pathways to Permanent Residence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Legislation in the 109th Congress . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
SKIL Act . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
List of Figures
Figure 1. F, J, and M Nonimmigrant Visas Issued in FY2005 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Figure 2. Region of Origin for F, J, and M Nonimmigrants, FY2005 . . . . . . . . 10
Figure 3. Academic Level of Foreign Students, 2004-2005 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Figure 4. Major Fields of Study for Foreign Students, 2004-2005 . . . . . . . . . . . 11
______________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.
Stuart Basefsky
Director, IWS News Bureau
Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell/ILR School
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor
New York, NY 10016
Telephone: (607) 255-2703
Fax: (607) 255-9641
E-mail: smb6@cornell.edu
****************************************
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies----------------- Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations-------- Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor---------------------- Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016 -------------------------------Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________
Congressional Research Service (CRS)
Order Code RL31146
Foreign Students in the United States: Policies and Legislation
Updated October 11, 2006
Chad Christian Haddal, Analyst in Immigration Policy, Domestic Social Policy Division
http://opencrs.cdt.org/rpts/RL31146_20061011.pdf
[full-text, 18 pages]
Summary
Five years after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks by foreign nationals
including several terrorists on students visas the security concerns over foreign
student visas are being supplanted by competitiveness concerns. Potential foreign
students, as well as all aliens, must satisfy Department of State (DOS) consular
officers abroad and immigration inspectors upon entry to the United States that they
are not ineligible for visas under the so-called grounds for inadmissibility of the
Immigration and Nationality Act, which include security and terrorist concerns. The
consular officers who process visa applicants are required to check the National
Counterterrorism Centers (NCTC) automated lookout systems before issuing any
visa. In part because of these security measures, student visa debates have shifted
from security to market-based discussions.
Higher education institutions in the United States are concerned over their
ability to attract the numbers and quality of foreign students, and whether the new
post-September 11 security measures impede the entry of potential students into the
U.S. education system. The fields of science, technology, engineering and
mathematics (STEM) increasingly rely on foreign students, and these fields hold a
top priority with most research institutions. Furthermore, the U.S. economy has
shown a high demand for the skill-sets produced in these fields of study, and the
STEM students provide a crucial link between the academic community and the labor
market. Consequently, with the easing of security concerns, many groups in higher
education and the private sector are seeking to expand pathways for foreign students
to emigrate.
All nonimmigrant students are issued visas from one of three categories, and are
monitored and tracked by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The three
visa categories used by foreign students are F visas for academic study; M visas for
vocational study; and J visas for cultural exchange. The numbers admitted have
more than doubled over the past two decades. In FY1979, the total number of
foreign student and cultural exchange visas issued by DOS consular officers was
224,030 and comprised 4% of all nonimmigrant visas issued. In FY2005, DOS
issued 565,790 visas to F, J, and M nonimmigrants, making up 10.5% of all
nonimmigrant visas issued. The Student and Exchange Visitor Information System
(SEVIS) aims to manage the tracking and monitoring of foreign students.
Participation in the SEVIS program is now mandatory for all higher education
institutions enrolling foreign students.
Issues and legislation related to foreign students continue to arise. The funding
and English-language competency of foreign students have raised concerns with
some universities, advocacy groups, and other observers. Additionally, recent
legislation has focused on attracting foreign students in STEM fields. Legislation
passed in the Senate (S. 2611) would create pathways to citizenship for foreign
students in the STEM fields of study. Although there are provisions in this legislation
for undergraduate students, the major focus has been on students obtaining advanced
degrees. This report will be updated as warranted.
Contents
Background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Foreign Student Visas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
F Visa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
J Visa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
M Visa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Duration of Status Visa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Processing, Screening, and Reporting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Agency Involvement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Screening Procedures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Security Concerns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Trends and Characteristics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Current Issues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Foreign Students and Funding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Foreign Students and Language Competence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
New Pathways to Permanent Residence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Legislation in the 109th Congress . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
SKIL Act . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
List of Figures
Figure 1. F, J, and M Nonimmigrant Visas Issued in FY2005 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Figure 2. Region of Origin for F, J, and M Nonimmigrants, FY2005 . . . . . . . . 10
Figure 3. Academic Level of Foreign Students, 2004-2005 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Figure 4. Major Fields of Study for Foreign Students, 2004-2005 . . . . . . . . . . . 11
______________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.
Stuart Basefsky
Director, IWS News Bureau
Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell/ILR School
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor
New York, NY 10016
Telephone: (607) 255-2703
Fax: (607) 255-9641
E-mail: smb6@cornell.edu
****************************************
# posted by SBasefsky : 9:01 AM
