This is the VOA Special English EDUCATION REPORT.
We continue our series of reports about how foreign students
can attend a college or university in the United States. This
report is on the Special English Internet Web site, w-w-w dot
voaspecialenglish dot com.
Last week, the Education Report discussed changes in the government
rules for getting legal permission to enter the United States
to study. Today, we tell about ways the government plans to
follow foreign students inside the country.
One way is by using a new computer security system called the
Student and Exchange Visitor Information System or SEVIS. All
schools will enter information about their foreign students
into this computer network. The SEVIS system will go into effect
on January thirtieth, two-thousand-three.
SEVIS will link about seventy-four-thousand American colleges,
universities and technical schools to the Immigration and Naturalization
Service. It will give the I-N-S and the Justice Department detailed
information about each student. The government will be able
to tell if the student is attending classes or if the student
leaves school. The government will also use the system to let
the schools know that a student has entered the country. The
new rules require schools to tell the I-N-S within thirty days
if the student is attending classes.
SEVIS is one of a number of ways that government officials
are getting more control over foreign students. Earlier this
year, officials said they may not approve requests from foreigners
who want to study some kinds of science or technology subjects.
These include subjects that could provide knowledge about how
to make dangerous weapons. And the Justice Department has begun
a new system to follow foreign visitors entering and leaving
the country.
The program involves fingerprinting a small percentage of foreign
visitors. The fingerprints will be studied to see if they are
the same as those of known criminals or terrorists. The fingerprinted
visitors also must tell the government from time to time where
they are living and what they are doing in the United States.
They must also let officials know when they leave the country.
Information about SEVIS can be found on the I-N-S Web site.
The address is w-w-w dot i-n-s dot g-o-v. Then go to SEVIS Resources
or Special Registration.
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This V-O-A Special English Education Report
was written by Nancy Steinbach, courtesy of VOAnews.com
