As more than 7,000 international education and exchange professionals descended last week on downtown Kansas City for the 2010 Annual NAFSA Conference and Expo, the editorial board of the Kansas City Star took note, publishing an op-ed in support of international exchange:

In a follow-up to its proposed rule in December 2009, the Department of State issued a press release earlier this week noting that it has published an interim final rule in the Federal Register to increase nonimmigrant visa application processing fees.

According to the National Foundation for American Policy, during the recession “technology firms appeared to hire a larger share of [foreign skilled] workers compared with other top employers of professionals from overseas,” reports the Wall Street Journal.

Countries should continue to be added to the Visa Waiver Program (VWP) despite delays in the implementation of a biometric air exit mandate on foreigners visiting the U.S., says a scholar at the Heritage Foundation in a recent report.

The United Kingdom Border Agency circulated the following clarification to media reports (and as reported by the Alliance last Friday) regarding changes to its student visa system, noting that the changes are “limited to applications under Tier 4 and so Student Visitors remain unaffected”:

The State Department is taking steps to speed up the visa application process for foreign students and scholars, the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Chronicle of Higher Education all reported. From the Chronicle:

Speaking at the New York University commencement ceremony on Wednesday, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton urged the 2009 graduating class to become citizen diplomats and to open themselves up to “this increasingly complex and interconnected world.” Clinton spent a significant portion of her speech emphasizing that “lay[ing] the groundwork…for global cooperation” begins with international exchange. Her remarks included such specific proposals as increasing funding for Gilman scholarships by more than 40 per cent, streamlining the visa process for international students, and creating Virtual Student Foreign Service Internships at the State Department “to harness the energy of a rising generation of citizen diplomats”:

The Washington Post ran a piece yesterday on the affect of visa delays on scientists and other skilled foreign workers:

Delays have increased because of rising demand for U.S. visas all over the world, said David Donahue, deputy assistant secretary of state for visa services.

The Washington Post ran a piece yesterday on the affect of visa delays on scientists and other skilled foreign workers:

Delays have increased because of rising demand for U.S. visas all over the world, said David Donahue, deputy assistant secretary of state for visa services.

The Chronicle of Higher Education reported Friday that a major antiterrorism operation in Britain last week, in which 12 men were arrested, all of whom had entered the country on student visas, has heightened student visa concerns:  “Last month Britain’s immigration minister said that ‘abuse of the student visa has been the biggest abuse of the system, the major loophole in Britain’s border controls.’”