With the fall semester quickly winding down, many students are already making plans to head homeward after that final day of exams.
But in light of the recent terrorist attacks, one segment of the student population has more pressing concerns than travel accommodations.
For the 700 international students at The University of Memphis, the possibility of not being able to renew their student visas once they leave the U.S., once almost unimaginable, has become a definite cause for concern.
Clara Nunis, U of M’s international students advisor, said lately she has been meeting with about 10 students daily who come into her office concerned about complications that might arise when returning to their home countries for the holidays.
Since the terrorist attacks, there has been a lot of talk about changing immigration laws. One change which received much press coverage, suggested by California Senator Dianne Feinstein, was that all student visas be suspended for six months.
“(Feinstein) has since changed her views,” Nunis said. “She would have shot herself in the foot, because her state would have lost a lot of money from international students’ tuition money.”
Because of the frenzy of press coverage concerning the Immigration and Naturalization Services agency since the attacks, there is some uncertainty about what actual changes will occur.
Sonja Luecke, a graduate student from Germany, is planning to return home for about three weeks during the winter break. She needs to renew her visa during this time, so in order to complete the process during her visit home she must set up an emergency appointment with the embassy.
“It’s already complicated to get an emergency appointment,” Luecke said. “Now I wonder, if (INS is) changing regulations, will they still do it?”
The International Programs Office has been keeping abreast of all INS developments, Nunis said. Each month, they receive a visa bulletin from the INS, and they have an e-mail list of other international advisors nationally that they use to keep each other abreast of changes and problems.
“If in one school or one city there’s a problem, we can then see if it is here,” Nunis said. “There are no official reports of any problems.”
Immediately after the attacks, the International Programs Office went to a state meeting for international student programs in which local INS officers from Memphis and Nashville came in to answer questions.
If a student is simply renewing their visa and not making any changes, Nunis said, then they shouldn’t have any problems. If they are changing the status of their visa --from a student to a tourist, for example--then Nunis suggests that they come in to discuss some options.
“It’s not a big deal. We just want them to come into the office to get the latest news on the situation,” Nunis said. “We’re really telling students, 'don’t panic, and don’t believe everything you see on the Internet.'”
The only change that has occurred, Nunis said, has nothing to do with the INS. The FBI suspended the Buckley Amendment, which protects student records. Now the FBI can come in and look at student records with no search warrant. Nunis pointed out that no one in Tennessee has taken advantage of the amendment’s suspension.
