The academic year begins and international students cannot obtain visas to the United States

Visa processing has been postponed as U.S. embassies and consulates around the world are operating with limited capacity due to the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in some overseas students being unable to travel by the start of the school year. The edition told in more detail Reuters.

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The anticipation and hardships threaten both the country's status as the preferred choice for international students and their economic contribution of about $ 40 billion a year to many universities and the local economy.

New international student enrollment in the United States fell 43% in the fall of 2020 from the previous year. According to a survey conducted by the Institute for International Education (IIE), the number of new students who actually entered the campus in person dropped by 72%.

Educational advocacy groups are calling for no interviews and video interviews for students and academics in place of the mandatory face-to-face interviews for an F or M student visa.

“Many U.S. consulates abroad are still not operating at full capacity,” said Rachel Banks, senior director of NAFSA: Association of International Educators. “Students and scientists continue to find it difficult to make appointments.”

A spokesman for the US Department of State urged students to apply for visas in advance, adding that the department prioritizes students and expedites the processing of individual applications.

“We are committed to supporting the U.S. academic community and the U.S. economy through efficient visa processing while maintaining border security,” a State Department spokesperson said.

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To address visa processing slowed by the pandemic, the Department of State Security and Homeland Security last year expanded the ability of consular officers to refuse in-person interviews. Students renewing their visa within a year after the expiration of their previous visa are eligible to opt out of the interview until December 2021.

According to the IIE, the United States is admitting more than a million international students annually from the 2015-2016 academic year. Since then, the enrollment of international students has been declining, with the exception of 2018-2019.

International students contributed about $ 2018 billion to the US economy in the 2019-45 academic year, according to an IIE report citing the US Department of Commerce.According to NAFSA, students contributed $ 1,8 billion less during the 2019-2020 academic year due to the pandemic.

Loss of talent

According to a 2020 NAFSA report, even before COVID-19, the U.S. visa process was considered one of the top three reasons for the decline in international student enrollment in 2017-19, along with the social and political environment and competition from universities in other countries.

“We are in danger of losing talent,” said Ravi Shankar, assistant provost and director of international services at the University of Rochester. He said Western countries, including Canada and the UK, as well as China, are the main competitors.

US universities have benefited from the economic contributions of large international student associations as they often pay full tuition fees and help fund scholarships.

In addition, international students contribute to the local economy by renting off-campus apartments and patronizing businesses. However, in other Western countries, it is easier for foreign students to study.

“I went to school in the UK,” Kofi Owusu said. “And then I had no problems with the interview.”

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US colleges and universities received 2021% more international student applications for Fall 13 compared to the previous year. According to Banks, most of the so-called top countries saw an increase in filings, with the exception of China.

Defenders praise the administration of US President Joe Biden for trying to give international students more confidence.

Suwade Pe Tan, a sophomore at the Savannah College of Art and Design, believes she is lucky to have received a meeting at the US Embassy in Yangon, Myanmar in June.

When she arrived at the embassy with a staff shortage, she waited almost three hours for her 10-minute interview. Pe Tang believes that the interview could have been conducted several months earlier via videoconference.

“Students have everything else - a valid visa, a valid passport - but this one interview is what keeps everyone from coming to the States,” Pe Tan said.

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