Visa Scrutiny - U.S. Visas Hard to Obtain
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 Following
the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the United States has implemented
many changes in regards to national security. Many of those changes effect
immigration to the United States. More specifically, obtaining a visa for travel
and immigration to the United States has become increasingly difficult following
the events of September 11. Previously, before 9/11, applicants were only
required to fill out one application. Now, however, the USCIS
(formerly known as the Immigration and Naturalization Service) may require up to
3 or more forms and many visas undergo much
scrutiny. To deal with the greater number of applicants and the forms
they are submitting, funding was increased to hire additional USCIS personnel.
However, the backlog of cases still persists. Some of the additional forms
required by the United States ask
questions such as if the applicant has previously stayed in a Middle Eastern
country or has traveled close by. Other questions may include if the applicant
has knowledge on explosives and rifles. The extra checks and interrogations are
conducted with the intention of preventing terrorists from entering the United States.
Before September 11, the immigration
officer would stamp passports for a visits up to 6
months. Currently, USCIS regulations are different and before the passport is stamped by the
immigration officer, travelers usually face long interrogations pertaining to
their length and location of stay. In addition, the stamp is no longer valid for 6
months but usually only 30 days. If the visit is longer than the 30 days, the
immigration office must be informed. Not reporting a change of address may
result in problems for the individual on the visa. An
extension to stay in the
U.S. longer than 30 days may be granted in some cases. In 2005 the U.S.
Department of State claimed that slightly more than 2% of their visa applicants
underwent additional scrutiny.
Some of the individuals that are being affected by the delays in
visa processing are students. Since 9/11 American
schools throughout the country have seen a drop in the number of foreign
students applying. Some university
officials claim that a contributing factor in the drop of foreign applicants is
that European and Australian universities are attracting more foreign students.
Obtaining a visa to study in a country besides the United States may be of less
difficulty. Another claim is that visa process is taking longer than before
in the US due to the additional requirements introduced after September 11
coupled with additional visa scrutiny. Some of the
top reasons why visas are denied or delayed include: (1) Difficulty proving
that the applicant is not intending to immigrate to the US, (2) Security clearances that
are sometimes required, and (3) The interview done by a consular officer that is
required for most non-immigrant visa applicants. The U.S. Department of State
has been working on improvements such as hiring more personnel at their
embassies and consulates, reducing average processing times, and giving priority
to exchange visitors and students.
In addition to visa applicants sometimes having to face delays, some face
additional scrutiny airports and other port of entries.
Most likely, if an applicant
is from a country with strong terrorist ties or their name is similar to a name
on a "terrorist watch list," they are more likely to be interrogated. In
addition, males with an Arab or
Muslim background aged from 16 to 45 years old may be fingerprinted and
photographed at airports and other border crossings. The U.S. Department of
State has assembled a list of countries with possible terrorism ties. Government
officials insist that this is by no means ethnic profiling and that criteria
is based upon intelligence reports. Racial and ethnic profiling has been
banned throughout federal agencies. There are instances when authorities receive
specific information about a certain ethnic or racial groups that may be
suspected of orchestrating a terrorist attack. In these instances, federal
guidelines allow immigration officers to further scrutinize certain ethnicities.
However, there have been numerous complaints that certain groups are singled out
at airports due to the stereotypes that exist. Regardless, one concrete result
of the terrorist attacks of September 11 are that all individuals, both
U.S. citizens or non-citizens, have to
undergo increased security measures when traveling in the United States.
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