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.’”

Congressional Quarterly reported today that applications for FY 2010 H-1B visas have slowed in comparison to previous years. Each April 1, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) begins accepting applications for H-1B visas, a category of immigrant visas reserved for skilled workers and good for six years—65,000 are available for each fiscal year, with an additional 20,000 reserved for applicants with a master’s degree or more from a U.S. college or university.

InsideHigherEd.com reports today that international applications to U.S. graduate schools rose 4 per cent between 2008 and 2009, “with the increase ‘driven almost entirely’ by growth at institutions with the largest numbers of international students enrolled already,” according to a new survey by the Council of Graduate Schools:

“Foreign applications rose 6 per cent at the top 100 destination institutions for international students, but dropped 4 per cent at institutions outside the top 100.”

Two recent articles in the Chronicle of Higher Education examine issues surrounding foreign scholars and students in the United States.

The Alliance completed visits this fall to consular posts in Asia to discuss visa processing. We visited the following posts: Beijing, Shanghai, Bangkok, Manila.

The release of a new Government Accountability Office (GAO) report regarding the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) continuing efforts to expand the Visa Waiver Program (VWP) prompted Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) to call a recent hearing of the Senate Judiciary’s Subcommittee on Terrorism, Technology and Homeland Security which she chairs. The hearing offered Feinstein, a frequent critic of the program, an opportunity to question DHS about security issues in the VWP.

The U.S. Senate Tuesday passed legislation to require the accreditation of English language training programs. The bill, S. 3658, was introduced that same day by Sen. Thomas Carper (D-DE), and would require accreditation of English language training programs by an accrediting agency recognized by the Secretary of Education.

As the end of the fiscal year approaches, the Senate Saturday approved a continuing resolution (CR) to keep the federal government, including the Department of State, functioning at current funding levels through March 6, 2009. Senate action follows that of the U.S. House of Representatives which passed the package last Wednesday. The fiscal year ends Tuesday, September 30.

As the end of the fiscal year approaches, the Senate Saturday approved a continuing resolution (CR) to keep the federal government, including the Department of State, functioning at current funding levels through March 6, 2009. Senate action follows that of the U.S. House of Representatives which passed the package last Wednesday. The fiscal year ends Tuesday, September 30.

As the end of the fiscal year approaches, the Senate Saturday approved a continuing resolution (CR) to keep the federal government, including the Department of State, functioning at current funding levels through March 6, 2009. Senate action follows that of the U.S. House of Representatives which passed the package last Wednesday. The fiscal year ends Tuesday, September 30.