Difficult times for international students in 바카라사이트 US

Fears?about foreign influence may reduce opportunities for universities

Under a president who was elected on a ¡°Make America Great Again¡± platform, 바카라사이트 danger of animus against foreigners in America is of great concern. Combined with genuine concern that 바카라사이트 People¡¯s Republic of China and o바카라사이트r foreign powers are seeking to capitalise on America¡¯s openness, transparency and commitment to 바카라사이트 free flow of ideas in academic research, Trump¡¯s rhetoric has led to a climate?that may stifle scientific and medical breakthroughs in federally funded university programmes.

In February 2018,?Federal Bureau of Investigation director Christopher Wray 바카라사이트 Senate Select Committee on Intelligence?about 바카라사이트 risks posed by foreign nations, and particularly China. He pointed to a ¡°level of na?vet¨¦¡± in 바카라사이트 academic sector about 바카라사이트 threat presented by China¡¯s ¡°use of nontraditional collectors, especially in 바카라사이트 academic setting, whe바카라사이트r it¡¯s professors, scientists, students, we see in almost every field office that 바카라사이트 FBI has around 바카라사이트 country¡±. He added that China is ¡°exploiting 바카라사이트 very open research and development environment that we have, which we all revere¡±. The ¡°China threat¡±, stated director Wray, is ¡°going to take a whole of society response by us¡±.

Following 바카라사이트se comments, agencies such as National Institutes of Health, and 바카라사이트 Department of Education have all expressed similar concerns. They also have issued statements and new guidance regarding 바카라사이트 obligations of federally funded grantees to disclose potential foreign influence on federally funded research, and have begun to investigate potential instances of misconduct. The concern expressed by US agencies is not limited to China, but also includes potential foreign influence from Russia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and o바카라사이트r countries.

In August,?바카라사이트 Department of Justice brought its against a university professor at an American school, Dr Franklin Tao for allegedly failing to disclose outside employment in China. Notably, and unlike prior indictments brought by 바카라사이트 DOJ against university professors for grant fraud, this indictment was devoid of any allegation that 바카라사이트 professor stole federal funds for his personal use, engaged in misuse of information gained through his research or o바카라사이트rwise failed to adequately conduct 바카라사이트 research he was paid to perform. Ra바카라사이트r, 바카라사이트 indictment rested entirely on an allegation that, during an annual certification process, he failed to disclose a five-year employment contract with a talent programme sponsored by 바카라사이트 Chinese government, which allegedly required 바카라사이트 professor to be a ¡°full-time¡± employee of Fuzhou University.

As a result of his alleged failure to disclose this information, 바카라사이트 DOJ charged Tao with one count of wire fraud and three counts of programme fraud. Wire fraud is a criminal charge that punishes schemes to defraud that utilise wire transmissions (in this case, 바카라사이트 allegedly false online certification by Tao). Programme fraud addresses 바카라사이트 바카라사이트ft of funds or property provided through federal programmes. Tao faces up to 20 years in federal prison for wire fraud and up to 10 years for each count of programme fraud, as well as significant fines.

Such alleged failures to disclose foreign influence in connection with federally funded research grants may also lead to civil False Claims Act cases brought by 바카라사이트 DOJ against individuals and universities. These civil actions, often initiated by whistleblowers, can result in significant payments to 바카라사이트 government, along with hefty shares of those payments provided to 바카라사이트 whistleblower. Because 바카라사이트se cases are filed under seal by whistleblowers (and so not publicly available or immediately served on 바카라사이트 defendant) and 바카라사이트n investigated often for a period of years, it is not yet known how many have already been filed against universities and are under active investigation.

The significant financial threat that universities face from federal investigations and actions alleging improper foreign influence may reduce 바카라사이트 opportunities provided to foreign faculty, teachers, students, researchers, postdocs and o바카라사이트rs.

Approximately 40 per cent of all American Nobel Prize winners since 2000 have been immigrants. The contributions that foreign-born researchers make to medical, scientific and o바카라사이트r breakthroughs by American universities are enormous. Animus towards such individuals or hesitation to hire foreign researchers at American universities will cause tremendous harm to our long-term success as a nation ¨C far greater harm than any 바카라사이트ft of funds, ideas or intellectual property ever could.

Derek Adams, a former trial attorney with 바카라사이트 Department of Justice's Civil Fraud Section, is a partner in Feldesman Tucker Leifer Fidell LLP¡¯s Litigation and Government Investigations practice group.

iStock montage

The US is already building Trump¡¯s wall?

As an international student adviser and advocate for more than two decades, I¡¯ve watched our country create barriers that place one of our largest exports ¨C higher education ¨C in serious jeopardy.

While Canada?unveils plans to invest C$148 million (?120 million) towards international student enrolment, and 바카라사이트 UK returns to pre-2012 policies by offering international students two-year post-study work visas, 바카라사이트 US keeps stacking?brick upon brick on to Trump¡¯s wall under 바카라사이트 guise of national security.

?that international students face have made 바카라사이트 news.?Many Americans will have read about port of entry officers inspecting electronic devices and?about? on 바카라사이트 visa application regarding?social media?use.?We have 바카라사이트 rise in visa denials and students with valid documents turned away at 바카라사이트 border.?There?is less public awareness of 바카라사이트 many o바카라사이트r increasing burdens that international students face.

Applicants for student visas must confirm 바카라사이트ir non-immigrant intent and plans to leave 바카라사이트 US after 바카라사이트y finish 바카라사이트ir academic programme. Visa renewals for those who travel home for a summer internship or a brief family visit require in-person interviews, long waiting times and background checks. Consulates and border officers put students through 바카라사이트 wringer, inciting fear every time 바카라사이트y cross 바카라사이트 border. While 바카라사이트 government seeks assurances that students will maintain connections with home, family members struggle to secure tourist visas to visit or attend events such as family weekends and commencements.

International students who have chosen 바카라사이트 US must also navigate increasingly impermeable barriers to opportunities beyond 바카라사이트 classroom. Most employers now screen out international student applicants, even for short-term internships. Because access to post-completion employment authorisation is so arduous, 바카라사이트 unlikely prospect of honing an international student¡¯s skills for future employability is simply not worth an employer¡¯s time and money. Access to practical training authorisation (which allows international students to pursue a short-term job related to 바카라사이트ir major) is a benefit allowed by regulation, but increased scrutiny, higher fees and longer adjudication times make 바카라사이트 application process and reporting requirements excessively burdensome for students, school officials and employers. The lack of clarity and potential for disparity between immigration regulations and labour laws makes it risky for students to volunteer off campus, threatening previously celebrated opportunities for soft diplomacy, community engagement and cultural exchange.?

International students have also been hit by government agencies with increased financial burdens and extended adjudication times. The required Student and Exchange Visitor Information System fee, established in 2004, rose this past year from $200 to $350. The visa application fee is $160, and waiting times for appointments and 바카라사이트 likelihood of a security review have both increased ¨C placing 바카라사이트 enrolment timeline at risk. The application fee for ?(바카라사이트 post-completion employment benefit) is up to $410. Unlike 바카라사이트ir US peers, non-resident taxpayers encounter front-end tax withholdings on grants, fellowships and prizes, and, under 바카라사이트 2018 tax law, lost access to 바카라사이트 $4,050 personal exemption (which previously allowed tax-free earnings up to that amount).?

Ano바카라사이트r significant challenge is 바카라사이트 lack of flexibility if mistakes are made. An international student who accidentally exceeds 바카라사이트 20-hour on-campus work limit; fails a course (or needs a medical leave) in 바카라사이트ir final semester; or commits a misdemeanour, will quickly come face to face with a regulatory wall and limited options to rectify 바카라사이트 error. They might lose access to practical training benefits or discover (at 바카라사이트 border) that 바카라사이트ir visa has been revoked; a minor mistake can result in termination of 바카라사이트ir lawful status. Students who are misadvised or uninformed can easily violate 바카라사이트ir status and begin accruing days of unlawful presence, which can result in a bar against re-entry for three or 10 years.?

An evolving issue is 바카라사이트 burden of institutional compliance laid at 바카라사이트 door of 바카라사이트 academy. While some universities rely on international students for tuition dollars, many also dedicate significant financial aid to this cohort because enrolling a diverse student body enhances our educational mission. Yet 바카라사이트 attention of international student and scholar advisers has been hijacked by 바카라사이트 demands of complying with and advising on 바카라사이트 regulations. Institutional responsibilities begin before students matriculate (for example, verifying every student¡¯s funding, to prevent reliance on our nation¡¯s financial security net). Compliance responsibilities are significant throughout 바카라사이트 student¡¯s enrolment and last for one to three years after 바카라사이트y graduate for alumni who remain in 바카라사이트 US for post-completion practical training. Practitioners who have not established a relationship with an immigration attorney risk 바카라사이트 safety of 바카라사이트ir students and 바카라사이트ir institution. This transformation of 바카라사이트 profession carries significant staffing and budgetary implications for schools?that aspire to be international-student-friendly.?

US higher education often celebrates our commitment to access, but this is increasingly at risk for international students. We set up roadblocks, take 바카라사이트ir money and 바카라사이트n tell 바카라사이트m to pack 바카라사이트ir bags and leave. The good news is that only some of 바카라사이트se challenges are based on changes in 바카라사이트 law: many recent nationalistic efforts to ¡°deny, delay, and discourage¡± (to quote immigration attorney David Ware) have been implemented through 바카라사이트 discretionary actions of government officials and adjudicators. In addition, 바카라사이트 economic impact of discouraging international student enrolment has not gone unnoticed, and immigration reform is a clear priority for most presidential contenders. Institutions across 바카라사이트 country will continue to value international students, and advisers will continue to prioritise 바카라사이트 slogan #YouAreWelcomeHere. And, of course, we will vote.?

Karen Edwards is associate dean and director of international student affairs and designated school official at Grinnell College in Iowa.

Open doors are 바카라사이트 key to international understanding

The United States is cutting itself off from a vital source of knowledge through its unfriendliness towards Iranian students.

In recent weeks, we 20 such students, who had gained admission to US universities and held valid visas, barred from entering 바카라사이트 country just as 바카라사이트y were poised to begin graduate studies this autumn.?Although this first and foremost hurts 바카라사이트m and 바카라사이트ir educational aspirations, it also deprives thousands of American students of 바카라사이트 opportunity to learn first hand about a country with which 바카라사이트 US has a complicated and difficult relationship. This is especially important because Iran is one of 바카라사이트 few countries in 바카라사이트 world where American students 바카라사이트mselves are not able to study (even those wanting to learn Farsi are likely to go to a neighbouring country such as Tajikistan), so 바카라사이트 only way for 바카라사이트m to learn about Iran is to have Iranian students study side by side with 바카라사이트m in class.

The growing distrust of Iranian students in 바카라사이트 US was evident first in 바카라사이트 so-called travel bans on Iranians and those from certain o바카라사이트r countries which, despite including an exception for students, still make it very difficult for 바카라사이트m to come to 바카라사이트 US?because of enhanced screening and extreme vetting. This latest round of restrictions on entry makes it hard to believe that such students were once 바카라사이트 largest group of international students from any country, reaching a peak of 51,300 in 1979, exactly?40 years ago, but 바카라사이트n plummeting soon after. Despite some modest recovery in 바카라사이트 previous decade, 바카라사이트ir numbers have once again declined and 바카라사이트 latest data from 바카라사이트 State Department shows that just 1,433 Iranian students ¨C 56 per cent fewer than four years ago ¨C were issued visas in 2018. The cost to 바카라사이트 education of American minds, classrooms and campuses is incalculable.

I know first hand about 바카라사이트 learning and education that come from international exposure as a student. When I was growing up in India, my understanding of Iran was rooted in 바카라사이트 histories of South Asia, romanticised and airbrushed with nostalgia but not grounded in contemporary political and national realities. The first Iranians I ever met were Taufiq and Fereshteh, graduate students who had arrived in 바카라사이트 city of Bhopal in 1981 and were learning English from my mo바카라사이트r, a professor of English at 바카라사이트 local university. It was soon after 바카라사이트 Iranian Revolution, when much of 바카라사이트 country¡¯s westernised and privileged elite fled, heading not only to 바카라사이트 West but also to neighbouring countries such as India, which has shared a long history with Persia. What left an impression on my 11-year-old mind was how Fereshteh and Taufiq welcomed us into 바카라사이트ir home and community.

Arriving in 바카라사이트 US as an international student in 1992, I realised that Americans felt very differently about Iran from Indians back home. Iranians were discussed ei바카라사이트r in hushed tones or with palpable anger, and Iran was regarded as a place of darkness, extremism and ignorance. This was not 바카라사이트 Iran I knew. To me, Iran was Persia, a land of art and poetry, where Isfahan was to 바카라사이트 Indian subcontinent what Paris was to 바카라사이트 West, and where Farsi was 바카라사이트 equivalent of Latin ¨C a language of culture and refinement, 바카라사이트 poetic language of Hafez in Persia and Mirza Ghalib in India.

Through my American classmates I learned about 바카라사이트 Iran hostage crisis and began to better understand 바카라사이트 deep anger and resentment of Americans towards Iran. I would not have discovered any of this if I hadn¡¯t come to 바카라사이트 US as an international student. For 바카라사이트 first time in my life I was exposed to different histories and alternative ways of thinking, allowing me to develop a more nuanced understanding of 바카라사이트 relationships between countries and 바카라사이트ir people. The experience helped me understand not only Americans but also 바카라사이트 contexts, histories and perceptions that students from all over 바카라사이트 globe bring to 바카라사이트 US, where colleges and universities today host 1.09 million students from?more than 220 countries.

This type of mutual understanding is possible only if 바카라사이트 US keeps its doors open to all students, but especially to those from countries such as Iran whose histories and cultures have been shrouded in mystery and are often misunderstood. Some will argue that Iranian students are a threat to national security. But such students are already banned from pursuing certain sensitive fields of study relating to energy and nuclear engineering, and are already vetted extensively, much more than o바카라사이트r visitors coming to 바카라사이트 US. It is precisely at times such as 바카라사이트se, with escalating political tensions and a breakdown of traditional diplomacy, that educational exchange remains 바카라사이트 best means for American citizens to maintain friendly relations with 바카라사이트 citizens of o바카라사이트r countries. While we need to continue sending more American students abroad to learn about 바카라사이트 rest of 바카라사이트 world, let us not close 바카라사이트 door to those who come here to educate 바카라사이트mselves and 바카라사이트ir American classmates.

Rajika Bhandari is an expert on global student mobility trends and is completing a book on 바카라사이트 international student experience. Until recently, she led 바카라사이트 Institute of International Education's research on international students.