U.S. grants record number of student visas

During the two or three years after the 9/11 attacks, the number foreign students in the United States declined. The main reasons for the decline were tougher security scrutiny at U.S. consulates, tighter reporting requirements for foreign students while in the United States, and uncertainty among foreign students — especially those from Muslim countries — about how they would be treated. Things have changed. The U.S. Department of Dtates has just announced that it has issued a record number of visas to students to study in the United States, exceeding pre-9/11 levels. During Fiscal Year 2007, the department issued more than 651,000 student and exchange visitor visas — 10 percent more than last year and 90,000 more than were issued in Fiscal Year 2001. The number of foreign students attending American institutions of higher learning continues to grow and the Department of State says that in partnership with the Institute of International Education, academic institutions, and American colleges and universities, it continues to spread the word to international students that the United States welcomes them. Embassy and consular officials meet with prospective foreign students to explain the student visa application requirements and process and they participate in overseas college fairs providing information about education opportunities available in the United States. All U.S. consulates now offer special appointments in an effort to ensure that foreign students do not miss their classes in the United States while waiting for a visa interview. “International students have heard us and are choosing the United States as a premier destination for higher education,” the department said.