Kamran Kafi hasn’t gone home since moving to the United
States as a student in 2001. During holidays and vacations, Kafi,
who is from Germany, stayed in the United States because he feared
he would be unable to return to school in time for class and
research projects.
As a molecular biology student at UCLA, Kafi said he chose to
stay in the United States because he did not have time to go
through the required security clearance if he went home, a process
he was told could take up to 70 days.
But recent changes made by the U.S. State Department could allow
Kafi and other international students and scientists like him to go
home for short trips without worrying about delays when returning
to the United States.
The department recently announced that the validity period for
the security clearance known as Visa Mantis will be increased to up
to four years for international students and up to two years for
scientists working in the United States, an extension from the
previous period of only one year.
“The extension could allow me to plan a shorter trip back
to Europe. It would allow me to see my family and friends again
without getting behind on my work,” Kafi said.
The extension of the clearance by the U.S. Department of State
was partly due to concerns that international students and
scientists have been discouraged from coming to the United States
because of strict visa policies and delays.
“This change sends a clear message that the U.S. highly
encourages those with great scientific minds to explore studying
and working in our country,” said Asa Hutchinson,
undersecretary for border and transportation security at the
Department of Homeland Security, in a statement.
Larry Gower, director of the Office of International Students
and Scholars, said the changes will benefit international students,
but probably will not affect UCLA in terms of international student
enrollment.
Gower said international student enrollment was probably not
impacted by visa restrictions in the first place because UCLA
remains popular among foreign students, and students have not been
deterred from coming to the school by visa issues.
International student enrollment at UCLA increased last year,
although there was a general decrease around the country, according
to a report released last November.
Wei Xie, a graduate student from China who works at the
Molecular Biology Institute, said the change is a step in the right
direction, but it does not do enough to solve the potentially
lengthy visa application process students face during visits
home.
For example, consulate officers can still request a Visa Mantis
clearance at their discretion for any visa application. Though the
U.S. Department of State announced it has taken steps to decrease
the time taken to obtain a clearance, the average time needed is
still up to 14 days.
Xie said he was subjected to a security check last summer when
he went home even though his security clearance was still valid.
The process delayed the issuance of his visa to return to the
United States by 40 days.
“I had a feeling I would get checked because I have such a
sensitive major. I didn’t want to stay home for 40 days. I
had a project here, but I had no choice,” Xie said. Molecular
biology is one of the fields that the U.S. Department of State
deemed to contain sensitive information and technology.
Xie said he was lucky because his visa came a few days before he
was due to leave China, so he did not have to change his plans. But
through his work with the Chinese Students and Scholars Association
on visa issues, he knows many others are not so lucky.
“A lot of students had to delay coming back because of the
security checks. They had to cancel their tickets and stay home
with nothing to do. It’s horrible,” Xie said.
He said the extension of the Visa Mantis will benefit
international students, but students still run the risk of being
subjected to the security checks like he was, even with an
unexpired clearance.
“The situation seems better than before. It’s good
news that we get four years clearance. That’s the good side,
but on the other side, we still have the risk. This does not extend
our visas for four years,” Xie said.