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A letter from President of Yale University
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To the Members of the Yale International Community:
I write to address an issue of major importance to you, to the
University, to the nation, and to me personally, namely United States policy on
visas for international students and scholars. I wish to review the efforts
my colleagues and I have made to bring about improvement in the federal
policies and procedures that govern the admission of international
students and scholars to the United States.
Yale is international in its reputation, its faculty and students, and
the scholarly pursuits of its faculty and students. We seek the most
talented candidates throughout the world as students, postdoctoral fellows, and
faculty. Yale is stronger for its international character, and the same
can be said for this nation.
Protecting the nation from those who would enter it in order to do harm
is a legitimate and essential objective. But the United States can have
secure borders while maintaining access for international students,
fellows, and faculty. Indeed, encouraging visitors from throughout the
world to experience American culture first hand will promote
international understanding and make a substantial contribution to national security
and international peace.
The problems that some students, postdoctoral fellows, and others have
experienced in obtaining permission to enter the United States have been
of great concern to me and to the trustees of Yale University, as well
as to you. Although the majority of our international students and
scholars have secured a visa without unreasonable delay, a small number -
disproportionately graduate students and postdoctoral fellows from China
- have waited so long for a visa that they been forced to defer enrollment
or postpone research. Others have chosen to forego trips home or
attendance at scientific conferences outside of the United States for
fear of delay on re-entry.
Such situations, even if relatively infrequent, are unacceptable. They
erode the Yale community's ability to attract and offer its programs in
a timely way to all those who gain admission. They also can foster the
impression that the United States no longer values international
academic exchanges.
This spring, I convened a group that included the presidents or their
representatives and one or two trustees from several leading
universities to work together to raise these issues with the Bush Administration. I
have personally written to or spoken with Secretary of State Colin
Powell, Secretary of Homeland Security Thomas Ridge, and Attorney General John
Ashcroft. I intend to meet with senior White House personnel later this
month. Yale's Vice President Dorothy Robinson and Associate Vice
President and Director of Federal Relations Richard Jacob have met with
senior members of the Departments of Homeland Security and State. We
are also briefing Members of Congress about our concerns. I also have
discussed the particular hardships of Chinese students with the United
States Ambassador to China and China's Ambassador to the United States.
Last week, in China, I discussed the issue with senior government
officials and gave a half-hour interview on the subject on one of the
most widely-viewed television news shows in China. These efforts will
continue.
I have emphasized throughout the overarching need for a timely,
efficient, transparent, and predictable process for securing visas. Our agenda is
four-fold:
1. The visas granted to international students and scholars should,
at a minimum, be valid for the length of their academic program, and should
permit travel to and from the United States. For example, at present
the visas issued to Chinese students and scholars are valid for just six
months and two entries to the United States; students from Bhutan,
Madagascar and Iran are issued visas valid for three months and a single
entry. Students from most countries receive visas valid for their
entire course of study. Our proposal requires the concurrence of the
governments of students' and scholars' home countries.
2. In the aftermath of the September 11 attacks, many students and
scholars seeking permission to enter the United States are required to
pass a background check. In fact, this screening process is the
principal cause of delay. That process should be improved:
- Information systems are outmoded and their modernization should
be a priority. Congress and the Administration should allocate a portion of
homeland security funding to that purpose.
- Security clearances should be valid for the duration of a visa.
At present they expire in 12 months.
3. The process for renewing a visa should become more
user-friendly. At present applicants must leave the country before they can even file an
application. Students, fellows, and faculty should be permitted to
begin their application to renew a visa while they are in the United States.
4. United States agencies should establish clear timelines for
completing a background check. They should take special actions to resolve
applications which are not completed on schedule.
I believe the Bush Administration is receptive to comments from
universities, and I am confident that it will make at least some changes
in response to the proposals advanced by Yale and others in higher
education.
Sincerely yours,
Richard C. Levin
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发表于 2004-5-19 14:33:00
