Visa delays are deterring scientists from going to the United States

AMERICA is, both proverbially and in reality, a nation of immigrants. That is particularly true of its scientific community which has, since the second world war, attracted and relied on foreign talent to help create the world's most formidable research machine. Since the country's economic and military might depend in large measure on the success of that machine, anything which diminishes this flow of talent is likely to be bad for America. And a study released on May 4th by the National Science Foundation (NSF) suggests that delays in the processing of visas since September 11th 2001 are having just that effect.

According to the report, in 2001 the number of visas issued to foreign students fell by 20% from the previous year, with further falls since then. The State Department does not track science students separately from those in other disciplines, so it is impossible to work out the precise size of the decline in their numbers. However, the report concludes that “limits to entry imposed by US national security restrictions” are contributing to a declining inflow of science talent.

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United States

Immigration and asylum

Higher education

The National Science Foundation and General Accounting Office publish their reports on the processing of visas. NAFSA provides comment and resources on international education policy.

Other surveys, such as one of more than 530 American universities conducted in February by a consortium of five large educational groups, point to similar conclusions. According to this survey, 60% of the research universities in America reported a decline in applications by foreign graduate students between 2003 and 2004. Nine of the institutions ranked in the top 25 nationally reported declines of over 30%. Another report, by the General Accounting Office, a congressional investigative agency, took a random sample of visa applications by science students and scientists between April and June 2003, and found that the average time required to get a visa, for those applications sent to Washington, DC, for a security review, was 67 days. And according to a statement released in late April by NAFSA, an international association that promotes student exchanges between America and the rest of the world, almost all applications in the sciences are sent to Washington, DC, for such a review.

Az adminisztráció megnehezítése miítt csökken a tudományos kutatók beáramlása az usa-ba.911 20%-al csökkentette a kutatók számát,és azóta tovább csökkent a számuk.

Érdekeség,hogy elsősorban a kínaiakkal szívoznak,tehát nem igazűn biztonsági megfontolások állnak a szívózások mögött...

Hé,ez a binLáden tényleg megszívatta az usa-t!:-)