Just
sit and wait?
by
Anita Anandarajah @ Youthquake (NSTP)
This
is because visa applications for those heading to the US were frozen
on July 24. However, only males are affected. Since then, these 150
boys, from Universiti Teknologi Mara, have been in limbo. They have
confirmed seats in Harvard, Cornell, Purdue and the University of Illinois
at Urbana-Champaign. The boys' female coursemates have already begun
their term in the US. Some of their male coursemates whose applications
were approved before July 24 were able to leave for their respective
universities.
Those
whose applications were not approved before the cut-off enrolment date
set by universities were advised to begin their term in spring.
There
has been little news from the US Embassy and their respective universities,
except advice to be patient. When contacted, US Embassy Press officer
Frank Whitaker said that there have been no new developments.
According
to a report in the Sunday Mail (Aug 18), the US tightened immigration
controls significantly after Sept 11, hoping to keep potential terrorists
from entering the country.
Among
the stringent new regulations is a 20-day background check on men between
the ages of 16 and 45 from 26 countries with large Arab and Muslim populations.
Males
are required to fill out an additional form, the DS-157. One of the
questions asked is whether the applicant has had military training.
This
is in light of the revelation that a number of the terrorists involved
in 9/11 were students at flight schools in the US. One entered the country
on a student visa and at least two applied for student visas while in
the US.
On
Aug 14, the US Embassy announced that students now need between six
months and a year to have their visas processed. The usual estimated
waiting period was 20 days.
"It looks like attending my dream university will only be a dream
now," said Arthur Lee Kok San, 19, who had set his heart on studying
mechanical engineering at Cornell University when he was 15. He has
been given an extension of up to Sept 4 by Cornell to present himself
at the campus. Arthur's orientation was held on Aug 19, and classes
are scheduled to begin on Aug 29.
"This
is the most frustrating part - waiting around, with no idea how long
the process will take, and whether or not our visa applications will
be rejected," said Adrian Ow Yung Hwei, 18, from Kuala Lumpur,
who hopes to begin his Economics course in Harvard.
Adrian
has been in touch with his university, and the latter has given him
assurance that his seat is valid for one year.
His
friend, Hiresh Loganathan, 19, was to commence a Mechanical Engineering
course in Purdue University on Aug 19. He was given until Aug 25 to
present himself in class.
Arthur
is worried, nonetheless.
"We've
tried contacting JPA, but they have no plans for us yet. Everyone is
waiting for instructions from Washington. Even if our scholarships and
places can be held back, there is no guarantee we can get a visa in
spring. We were told to expect a six- to 12-month wait," he pointed
out.
He
added: "The I-20 forms should have been handed out earlier, if
the US Government knew it was going to run these checks. We handed in
our applications in early June, a week after we received our I-20, and
still we were affected."
The
I-20 form is issued by the university to the US Government stating that
a student has been accepted by the university to pursue his studies.
The form is then submitted to the US Embassy together with financial
documentation and an application for a visa.
"We
know everyone's hands are tied here, but it would help alleviate our
frustration if the relevant authorities can hold a question-and-answer
session so that someone in the know can give us definite answers,"
said Ivan Han, 19, who hopes to major in Computer Science at Cornell.
"JPA
has told us to be optimistic." Their plane tickets have been reserved
- that's got to be an optimistic sign.
So
what's going to happen now?
"It looks like we'll have to start looking at universities in Australia
and Canada," said Ahmad Adzwan Anuar, 18, who is due to leave for
the Univerisity of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign to study actuarial science.
"Maybe
I'll just spend the next six months relaxing," he said, giving
a weary smile..
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