Committee: Education Abroad Regulatory Practice (EA RP) Committee 
Position: CAL Subcommittee Liaison - World-at-Large Liaison
Term Dates: Two-year term, renewable for one term (maximum of 4 years) 

The CAL Subcommittee of the EA RP Committee is charged with developing relationships with visa officers at international consulates in the United States to clarify visa and immigration procedures and to assist education abroad colleagues in the field of international education. The CAL Subcommittee is seeking a member to liaise with visa officers in consulates other than Italy, France, Spain, and the United Kingdom. The CAL subcommittee liaison for the World-at-large will develop a network of resource professionals for countries outside of these four major locations. The focus of these relationships will be mutual assistance. The consular affairs liaison will be appointed by the chair of the subcommittee in consultation with the country coordinator.

Position updated October 2018

Major Functions and Responsibilities
  • Respond to requests for assistance from education abroad colleagues regarding student visa matters in assigned world region.
  • Identify changes in visa policies and procedures and inform the country coordinator and NAFSA staff.
  • Contact consulates and visa officers when possible to seek clarification on student visa procedures.
  • Work with the country coordinator for WAL, and with NAFSA staff to resolve policy and procedure issues in a fashion that assists the consulate visa office and the study abroad program advisers.
  • Consult with the country coordinator regarding action needed to resolve emergencies reported by the education abroad community.
  • Encourage members and others to report emerging trends to IssueNet, Education Abroad Visa Help, and/or the EA KC Discussion Forum.
  • If attending a regional conference, participate in the NAFSA EA visa-related sessions.
  • Participate in the CAL visa session at the NAFSA annual conference in May, if attending the annual conference. 
  • Assist with other related duties as requested by subcommittee chair.

All NAFSA leaders are expected to foster an inclusive environment and seek to learn and understand the multicultural perspectives of the committee/team, our constituents, and stakeholders to align with the NAFSA Diversity and Inclusion Statement. An expression of leadership in this area includes:

  • Engaging the committee/team to identify and implement strategies for increased personal outreach, recruitment, and onboarding for all, especially diversity-focused and underrepresented groups
  • Increasing accessibility and participation from underrepresented groups, individuals, and institutions
  • Expanding educational content within the committees’ purview through intentional outreach and recruitment of diverse presenters and institutional types in partnership with various NAFSA groups

 
NAFSA: Association of International Educators is a professional association driven by its Strategic Plan as established by the Board of Directors.  The success of the association depends on the productive engagement of three key constituencies: the Board, member-leaders, and staff.  Member-leaders are advocates for the association’s mission, vision, values, diversity and inclusion, and ethical principles. They align their work closely with the Board through its vice presidents and with staff to carry out the Strategic Plan. Member-leader roles are guided by objectives assigned by the Strategic Plan, by outcome accountabilities outlined in the Standing Rules, and by position descriptions for specific roles.

Relationships
  • This position collaborates closely with other NAFSA leaders to enhance work efforts across the association.
  • This position partners closely with the NAFSA staff partner assigned. Effective relationships reflect and include responsiveness to phone calls/e-mail correspondence, timely delivery on responsibilities, open communication and mutual respect among other characteristics.
Commitment
  • 1-3 hours per month responding to visa cases or subcommittee projects.
  • Participation in a quarterly call with other World-at-Large CAL members.
Qualifications
  • NAFSA member