Asia Times Asia
Uncle Sam reaches out to Indian students By Siddharth Srivastava NEW DELHI - Stung by an increase in the number of Indian students heading for other destinations, the United States is making a concerted attempt to de-fog young minds about any fears they may engender about pursuing an education in the US. Leading the campaign to draw students is US Ambassador to India David Mulford, as well as US business houses pushing the Bush administration to make things easier in the job market for non-US students who have studied in US colleges. Tightening of visa norms post-September 11, 2001, an outcry against US jobs being filled by Asians, as well as reducing the cap on H1-B visas - the bread-and-butter work permit for Indians - have created an atmosphere wherein more and more Indian students are looking to pursue their education elsewhere. The international degree market is a very lucrative business, with several developed countries, including the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia, going out of their way to lure students, especially Chinese and Indian, who form the bulk of the international student population worldwide. The problem with the United States has been to balance the need for security as the leading nation in the "war on terrorism" with a competitive environment wherein the student is made to feel at home. Then there is the added problem of the shrill anti-outsourcing protests. Further, in an overall atmosphere of falling job opportunities until recently and the cap on H-1B visas set at 65,000, graduate students are finding it increasingly tough to land placements. This week it was announced that the US consular sections in India would collect two electronic fingerprints from most visa applicants from July onward. Since January 5, almost all visitors arriving at US seaports and airports have had their fingerprints taken as part of the US-VISIT (United States Visitor and Immigrant Status Indicator Technology) program in a procedure similar to the process to be introduced in India. To allay fears, in an appeal to students last week Mulford tried to assuage any misgivings associated with such stringent security requirements. In a statement he said: On the one hand, the United States recognizes that to remain competitive it must do what is necessary to attract the best and the brightest students from India. At the same time, the [September] 11 attack made it clear that changes governing entry to and exit from the US were necessary. To balance these issues, the US invested heavily in technology and people to enhance two key objectives: keeping America open and ensuring more secure borders. Secretary of State [Colin] Powell summed it up best when he said our motto is "Secure borders, open doors". As we implement important measures to make our borders and the traveling public more secure, it is important to point out that these steps have not changed the criteria for issuing visas to visit or study in the US. Today more Indians travel to the United States than ever before. This year our embassy and consulates issued 12 percent more visas than over the same period in each of the past two years. Moreover, the visa issuance rate for India is higher today than before [September] 11. Our improvements are making long waits a thing of the past, and further decreases are likely as the US introduces more automated systems. Students in certain science fields may face an additional verification step, but this procedure affects only a handful of Indian applicants. The SEVIS [Student and Exchange Visitor Information System] tracking system eliminates altogether the need to delay some student applications. Electronic fingerprinting will make it easier to verify that legitimate students and travelers qualify for visas. This will actually facilitate their entry into the US. And each year the [New Delhi] embassy makes a special effort to ensure all students are interviewed in time to make their first day of school. This year will be no exception. However, Indian observers say visas are just one side of the problem. The other is the declining employment opportunities for Indian students graduating from US universities, which is proving to be a major deterrent. This is unlike the situation in the UK and Australia, where the governments have been at the forefront to remove employment hassles after completion of a degree. Taking a leaf out of the UK and Australia books, the German government too has relaxed several provisions, including visa norms and part-time work, aimed at attracting Indian students heading offshore. Since January 2003, Germany has allowed students to work 40 hours a week or 180 days a year without work permits, up from the earlier 20 hours a week or 90 days a year. Compulsory financial guarantees have also been reduced. Employment opportunities are being liberalized, with students now allowed a one-year leeway to look for a job after they complete their courses. This is in contrast to reports appearing in the Indian press that even Indian MBA (master of business administration) students in the US looking for internships that do not require an H1-B visa are also finding them difficult to come by. However, the one silver lining is that US industry support for international students is at an all-time high. Corporates, industry bodies and academics are now at the forefront of efforts to exempt from the H-1B quota students graduating from US universities with master's and PhD degrees. In an interview, Sandra Boyd, chair of Compete America, a coalition of more than 200 corporations, universities, research institutions and trade associations, said: "This is an important change in the way we've talked about the issue. No matter what number [of work visas] Congress chooses, it's important for corporates to always have access to graduates from US schools." But any real changes may be hard to come by: "It's a tough issue particularly in an election year," said Boyd. The effort, she said, is to educate members of the US Congress about the contributions made by international students to the United States. "I'm optimistic. We hope change will come sooner rather than later." Last month, Congressman Lamar Smith introduced a bill, the American Workforce Improvement and Jobs Protection Act (HR 4166), in the US House of Representatives. The bill is being co-sponsored by five other representatives. If passed, the annual H1-B cap would not apply to applicants who have received a master's or higher degree from a US institution of higher learning. This exemption would be limited to 20,000 visas. Mulford, for his part, is leaving no stone unturned in his appeal to Indian students. If you are considering future study in the United States, I urge you to bear in mind the investment we have made in you, to give you swift and safer access to the US while also providing everybody in America with a greater sense of security. We want you to be able to take advantage of the opportunities that attracted you to America in the first place and to give you the peace of mind that your security is our concern as well. America's opportunities include universities and colleges of all descriptions; student-friendly curricula; wonderful libraries and research facilities; a strong focus on innovation; approaches to research in many fields that distinguish the US from all other countries; and the individual freedoms and openness of American society. We want you to feel welcome in the United States - a great and safe place to study. Can marketing get any better? Siddharth Srivastava is a New Delhi-based journalist. (Copyright 2004 Asia Times Online Ltd. All rights reserved. Please contact [EMAIL PROTECTED] for information on our sales and syndication policies.) May 22, 2004 ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ---------------------~--> Yahoo! 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