Letter to Senators Concerning International Student Visas

The following letter was sent to Washington Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell by   Karen W. Morse, President of Western Washington University.

October 1, 2001

Dear Senator:

I understand that Senator Dianne Feinstein is proposing legislation to impose a six-month moratorium on international student visas. Western Washington University is strongly opposed to any blanket freeze on student visas, for the following reasons:

• Such a moratorium will not make a real difference in preventing terrorism, but will instead have both immediate and long-term negative impact on the nation’s strategic and economic interests.  The number of international students entering the US every year is small compared to the total number of foreign citizens who enter the US on all types of visas.  Any changes or modifications to the visa system must affect all visa recipients and must be designed in such a way that neither legitimate entrants nor bona fide institutions accepting international students, scholars or other categories of visitors will be adversely affected.

•  Educational exchange of students and scholars is essential to the enhancement of global understanding.  Now more than ever we need such educational exchange in order to create a better global climate in which to address the great challenges we all face in the wake of the September 11 attacks on the US.    Most students entering the US are among the best in their countries and often attend leading colleges and universities in the US, returning home as ambassadors for the values of freedom and democracy the US represents to the world. They also help create a market for US goods and services abroad, or work for US companies with economic interests in other countries.  New security measures should be aimed at improved enforcement of INS regulations governing entry and exit, not at keeping out the majority of students who come here for legitimate purposes and who make positive contributions to the US and to the global community.  United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan, Jordan’s King Abdullah II and Mexican President Vicente Fox all attended US colleges and universities.

• Senator Feinstein’s proposed moratorium would have both immediate and long-term disastrous consequences for US colleges and universities, including graduate programs, many of which have not only a long history of international educational exchange but significant international student populations.  The legislation would delay or prevent an entire cycle of admission for international students, and many of those students will instead choose to study in other countries where they are welcome.  International students contribute more than $12 billion to the US economy, along with their less tangible but equally important contributions in terms of study, research, and cultural enrichment. Graduate students and visiting international scholars also contribute very significantly to research and teaching at US institutions.  In the Senator's state of California, international students number over 66,000, contributing over $1.5 billion to the state economy.  Western Washington University accepts approximately 500 foreign students per year in both matriculated and non-matriculated programs, out of a total of 12,000 students.

• Any new system designed to better control better student visa compliance would require longer than six months to be fully implemented in any case, meaning that the moratorium would likely be extended for as long as several years. In that case existing international programs, many of which rely on reciprocity with overseas partner institutions for their existence, would face almost certain extinction.

• We strongly support Senator Feinstein’s plan to revise the CIPRIS payment system in a way that will eliminate the administrative problems that have plagued this system from the beginning.  We support electronic tracking of foreign students once they have entered the US, including a fully funded electronic CIPRIS database.

• We strongly oppose adding ineffective administrative burdens to educational programs in the US and instead encourage Senator Feinstein to increase support for consular posts charged with screening visa applicants.  It is an unfair and misguided notion to target foreign student visa applications themselves as the problem.  The implementation of new admission procedures as proposed by Senator Feinstein would be unrealistic for the INS to achieve in six months, and if enacted will cause the US to lose foreign students to the many other countries who recognize their value.

Western Washington University joins the large number of colleges and universities in this country for which international student exchange has been a vital part of educational programs.  Through such exchange, critical contributions have been made to the increased global understanding we all need.   Any measures taken that contribute positively to these efforts are welcome; measures imposed that would curtail legitimate international educational enterprises at this juncture would represent a great disservice to the role of the US as a world leader and a responsible member of the global community.  We sincerely hope that you will take these considerations very seriously as you weigh the potential impact of the proposed legislation.

Sincerely,

Karen W. Morse
Presiden