NEWS

Sluggish Visa Approval Process Hamstrings Scientific Conferences

James Schultz

Free flow of information is the scientific community’s stock-in-trade. For the American knowledge economy, access to expertise is likewise essential. Roughly half the nation’s graduate students come from abroad, and many of the nation’s most skilled professionals in science and technology were born outside the United States. Impede or prevent knowledge exchange by placing restrictions on those who cross U.S. borders, and advocates contend there could eventually be substantial damage to the nation’s knowledge-based economic infrastructure.

According to a joint statement issued by Bruce Alberts, Ph.D., president of the National Academy of Sciences, William Wulf, Ph.D., president of the National Academy of Engineering, and Harvey Fineberg, M.D., Ph.D., president of the Institute of Medicine, "Recent efforts by our government to constrain the flow of international visitors in the name of national security are having serious unintended consequences for American science, engineering, and medicine," the group wrote.

"The list of those who have been prevented from entering the United States ... includes research collaborators for U.S. laboratories, whose absence not only halts projects, but also compromises commitments made in long-standing international cooperative agreements," they continued. "Perhaps most seriously, the list also includes large numbers of outstanding young graduate and postdoctoral students who contribute in many ways to the U.S. research enterprise and our economy."

The trio also expressed concern that, in adopting more rigorous security measures, American officials are inadvertently slowing to a trickle legitimate visitation by foreign nationals attending scientific conferences or engaging in routine scientific exchange. Although the United States does have a visa waiver program for 28 countries—those holding passports from approved nations can travel to the states for purposes of tourism or business for 90 days or less without impediment—others must obtain a valid visa before entering the United States. Although experts agree that security should be a priority, the worry is that visa-vetting mechanisms are too clogged by procedural requirements to be efficiently responsive.

"There have been difficulties and delays even for ... ‘Allied’ countries," said Henry Metzger, M.D., scientist emeritus and chair of the Board on International Scientific Organizations (BISO) at the National Academies. "There’s a large backlog of pending visas. All applicants are being looked at more carefully, particularly those in the scientific areas. It [has] created difficulties. People are invited participants to a meeting, but then are unable to get to the meeting on time."

In particular, because some of the world’s most capable young scientists, engineers and health researchers have been prevented from or delayed in attending U.S.-based international conferences, those meetings have been either canceled outright or postponed such that certain keynote speakers can no longer attend. For the scientific community, this raises the prospect that future meetings may be moved out of the United States altogether.

According to advocates, unfettered scientific exchange should remain a priority, even during a time of heightened global tensions and a renewed focus on terrorism at home and abroad. The alternative, supporters insist, is neither prudent nor desirable.

According to BISO director Wendy White, this past summer saw a substantial increase in complaints made to the BISO by would-be attendees to conferences, up to 10 complaints a week from the usual one or two a month. And one major meeting, the Chinese-American Frontiers of Science Conference, originally scheduled for October 11-13, 2002, had to be postponed. On September 11, 2002, noted White, the Chinese Academy of Sciences reported that they were having difficulty obtaining visas: they had applied on August 5, but had not yet received notification of acceptance. After several exchanges between the National Academies and the State Department, visas were issued—but not until October 9. Since most attendees could not travel on such short notice, the gathering was postponed until November 22-24.

"What we are seeing is a process problem," White said. "Security has trumped the free circulation of scientists, at least for now. The problem is resolvable. It will be a matter of getting the security agencies to make a priority of clearing these applications."

Those applying for a short- or long-term visa must deal with an alphabet soup of visas grouped in categories. Scientists attending conferences in the United States usually need to apply for a B-class visa: B-1 for business or B-2 for pleasure, usually to tour or visit friends and relatives. Full-time students at an accredited college or university can apply for an F-1 visa, and the M-1 visa is issued to students following the nonacademic track, such as in trades or vocational programs. J-1 visas are given to those participating in exchange programs, such as visiting scholars and exchange students. There is also the H-1B visa, which is for temporary workers in specialty occupations that necessitate either theoretical or practical application of a body of highly specialized knowledge.

In fiscal year 2001, White said, 10 million individuals applied for non-immigrant visas of all kinds. Of those, 7.5 million were issued. In fiscal year 2002, 7.9 million visa applications were made and, again, 7.5 million were approved. The difference came in the number subject to security review: 75,000 in 2002 versus roughly 25,000 in 2001. Of those 75,000, a disproportionate number were scientists, White pointed out.

"Scientists have been caught off guard," she said. "There’s a huge disruption in the scientific enterprise right now. Some postdocs [already here] went home this summer and couldn’t get back in. They’re the ones working in the laboratories, providing teacher assistance, paying tuition, living in apartments, and buying cars."

The bottleneck appears to have been created by the need for explicit approval of visas from all involved security agencies. The establishment of the Department of Homeland Security also may have played a role. (On March 1, the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service was rechristened the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services, and has been incorporated within the Department of Homeland Security.) In addition, the visa application process has become more cumbersome, as visa applicants’ names are checked against as many as two dozen U.S. security databases. Some applicants, notably Muslim males, require explicit approval from Washington to enter the country. The agencies providing clearance are determined by the Bureau of Consular Affairs but routinely include the CIA and the FBI and may include any other agency with a potential interest in the applicant.

"The President’s science adviser, Dr. John Marburger, is keenly aware of the increased scrutiny given to international visitors trying to enter the country for scientific conferences," said Kathryn Harrington, spokesperson for the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. "The simple fact is that, post 9-11, our country does need to be conscious of who’s entering. We’re doing what we can to ensure the right people get into the United States in the most expeditious manner possible. Unfortunately, given the new state of the world, we have to be extra cautious as to who crosses our borders."

White of BISO said her organization has learned that the Bureau of Consular Affairs is attempting to expedite the visa-approval process, as ways are found to streamline security checks within reasonable periods. Although not all American security agencies have agreed, the State Department’s goal appears to be to approve most visas in fewer than 10 business days.

"I think many in the government—the Justice Department, the State Department, the intelligence agencies, the Office of Science—recognize the potential harm that could be done to scientific enterprise if there is substantial reduction in the flow of scientists to the United States," said Metzger of the International Scientific Organizations board. "Obviously one wants to avoid the clear hazards in a rational way—but not in a way so restrictive that it impedes the enterprise without reducing the risk."



             
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