Talking Points on International Students and Terrorism

Acknowledge the problem. One terrorist apparently did enter the country on a student visa, and others studied at flight schools without such visas.

Clarify decision-making responsibility. Visa decisions are the State Department's prerogative, not that of schools or exchange programs. Our role is to assess qualifications for our programs.

Accept reporting responsibility. We comply with all reporting requirements, and we will comply with any others that may be imposed. We only ask that the requirements be reasonable, and implemented with some regard for the cost of compliance. Our schools will have to invest large amounts in complying with these regulations.

Put the problem in perspective. Less than 2 percent of those who enter the country every year on temporary visas are students. Most enter on tourist or business visas. We support any appropriate controls to protect the country against terrorism, but controls that focus only on students do not provide such protection.

Dispel myths.

• The "higher education lobby" did not delay implementation of a monitoring system. It has been charged that the monitoring system would have been in place by September 11 were it not for lobbying by higher education. This is an outrageous misrepresentation of the facts. Under the 1996 law, the system was not required to be operational until 2003. Although higher education has lobbied vigorously to improve certain aspects of the system--notably those pertaining to fee payment--we have never sought to delay the monitoring system as a whole, nor did we adversely affect its implementation. We have always sought to work cooperatively with the INS on technical issues of implementation.

• Contrary to the political rhetoric, student visas are not easy to get. Last year, 28 percent of student visa applications were denied. To get a student visa, you have to meet all the requirements for other visas, plus gain admittance to an educational institution and demonstrate financial means. Schools are already required to maintain extensive information on their international students--much more than is required for most other categories of nonimmigrants.

Be clear on NAFSA's position on monitoring. NAFSA has never opposed electronic reporting of information on international students and has worked with the INS for many years to implement it. We have had serious concerns about certain aspects of the 1996 law and the implementation of the system, which we have pursued vigorously--including by advocating repeal of the law from September 2000 to September 2001. After September 11, we abandoned our repeal effort, but we continue to seek a more streamlined and less costly system.

Make the case for international students. International students are overwhelmingly a net asset for U.S. security. They are a critical component of graduate education in the United States; they bring important educational, economic, and cultural benefits to colleges, universities, and communities; and they enable the United States to forge long-term relationships with future world leaders, which is an important element of U.S. world leadership.

January 29, 2002