International Education

A complex visa process has contributed to a decline in the number of international students coming to the country since 9/11

By Dahna Chandler

In January, Humphrey Tusimiirwe, a native of Uganda, finally realized his dream of pursuing a psychology degree at a U.S. university. What he didn't realize, however, was how arduous the U.S. student visa process would be. Although Tusimiirwe, 23, submitted the required paperwork and had outstanding recommendations from a U.S. senator, as well as from the president of the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minn., where he was applying to attend, the U.S. Consulate in Uganda denied his application twice. They asserted that Tusimiirwe — who is single, owns no property and has only one living parent — was denied because he could not prove he had enough social and economic ties to Uganda that would make him return after obtaining his degree.
"It's ridiculous to make those things considerations for granting visas to students since most don't have a spouse, children or property," Tusimiirwe says of a process that he believes weeds out those who can't or don't persevere. 
Tusimiirwe says he didn't contemplate giving up even though each denial meant re-applying and driving 40 miles before dawn to Uganda's capital, Kampala, and waiting in line and paying additional fees for a two- or three-minute interview. The interviews, which are held in an open room where all present can hear the proceedings, are humiliating, says Tusimiirwe, who began the visa process in July 2003 hoping to enter St. Thomas that fall. Fortunately for Tusimiirwe, U.S. Sen. Norm Coleman, R-Minn., whose son also entered the university in September, intervened, and Tusimiirwe got a one-year visa. But even Coleman had to make two attempts to sway reluctant consular officials.
It is this visa process, along with perceptions that a post-Sept. 11 America is unwelcoming, not to mention fierce competition from non-U.S. schools, that is driving declines in international student enrollment in U.S. colleges and universities. 
"These are really smart students, accepted at universities all over the world, wanting to come here because a U.S. university education is best," says Tusimiirwe. "But the visa process is grueling and discouraging, so many just go to schools in Australia or Europe."
And because attending institutions outside of the United States is easier than navigating the U.S. visa process, schools in countries such as India and China aggressively market to international students to bring their intellect, work ethic, skill and tuition money to their schools, says Heath Brown, director of research and policy analysis at the Council of Graduate Schools.