The College's international students office generally advises students to apply for student visas early in the year, as responses from the American embassy normally take a few weeks. The student in question followed the advice and applied but has yet to hear a response as of today. Although a student can reapply for a visa once denied, a student that has been neither denied nor accepted can do nothing but wait.
The visa was delayed as a result of a new and more strict international student visa policy put in place after Sept. 11. According to a State Department press release, citizens of a group of 35 to 40 countries will have to face increased background checks before receiving their visas. Although an official list of which specific citizens will be affected has not yet been released, the policy appears to be targeted at males from Muslim countries who are between the ages of 16 and 45.
"I've been working with international students and handling the paperwork since 1989 and I don't remember this kind of delay ever happening before," said Dean of Students Frances Tuleja. Sometimes students are denied on their first application, but the embassies are usually concerned that the students will stay in the United States. They have always been granted on their second application."
Other schools in the area are having similar problems getting international student visas approved. According to the Daily Hampshire Gazette, a Saudi Arabian student accepted at UMass is also still waiting for a response from the American embassy.
"Personally, no, I haven't had any problems," said Ali Hassan '05, a Pakistani student. "But I know people from home-some people couldn't come back for their second semester or for sophomore year. It's just a massive hassle."
Tuleja also mentioned how the changes in the visa policy may affect Amherst students in the future. "The process has to be gone through every time a student reapplies for a renewal visa," she said.
However, policies vary from country to country. Some international students have to reapply every year, while others have visas that last until their graduation. "We'll tell the ones that are affected that they just need to make the necessary plans ahead of time," Tuleja said.