Public Policy
GAO Report Highlights Visa Delay Problem
On February 25, the House Science Committee held a hearing entitled “The Conflict Between Science and Security in Visa Policy.” Committee Chairman Sherwood Boehlert (R-NY) opened the hearing saying:When it comes to visa policy, we sometimes talk about finding 'the proper balance' between enhancing homeland security and ensuring a thriving scientific enterprise... But security and science are also complementary … [and] that must be kept in mind when reviewing visa policy. A visa regime that casts too wide a net - that holds up just about everybody for excessive security checks - … is not good for security or for science.
Witnesses included Asa Hutchinson (Department of Homeland Security), Janice Jacobs (Department of State), and representatives from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the General Accounting Office (GAO). At the hearing, the GAO released a report on visa delays for students and scholars in the sciences. Administration officials acknowledged problems with the current system and pledged to work together to alleviate unnecessary delays in the visa issuance process. NAFSA will continue to work with DHS and the State Department to address the problems in the current process.
Related Materials
- Border Security: Streamlined Visas Mantis Program Has Lowered Burden on Foreign Science Students and Scholars, But Further Refinements Needed, 2005 GAO Report
- In America's Interest, 2003 Report from NAFSA's
More Information
- View the higher education community’s letter to the committee (70kb
) - View the House Science Committee press release about the hearing
