International students interested in studying in the US have a new source of information on immigration rules and visa processes – a video produced by the Student Exchange Visitor Programme (SEVP) and posted on its recently launched Study in the States website.
Student to Student: Studying in the States is the first video of its kind from the Department of Homeland Security and part of an ongoing outreach campaign on student immigration issues. Narrated by current international students, it shows what documents are needed to enter the US, whom to speak with to change classes or living situations and how to spot bogus colleges.
It the first video of its kind from the Department of Homeland Security
“We praise SEVP for taking the initiative to improve communication and understanding,” said Krista Northup, director of the office of international recruitment of the State University of New York (SUNY) of the video yesterday, which is also viewable on the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) YouTube Channel.
“Official explanations from government for students are helpful and appreciated.”
SEVP launched the Study in the States site last year to corral the many government departments involved in student immigration enforcement and communicate more effectively with overseas students and educators.
That said, many feel SEVP still fails to communicate with the sector adequately over new policy. After passing the Accreditation of English Language Programs Act – which required all English language schools to apply for government approved accreditation to continue issuing visas – public intensive English language programmes (IEPs) were left in confusion over the policy with some fearing they might have their right to issue visas revoked.
IEPs were up in arms again this week over new policies on visas and student vacations, which they claimed they had not been consulted over.
SEVP told The PIE News it did listen to sector feedback through the Study in the States portal, its Facebook page and Twitter account.
The USA is not the first country to launch a video on immigration for students. Australia’s Coming to Australia video is available on the Department of Immigration and Citizenship website, while the UK has its own visa advice channel on YouTube—although neither country’s videos are presented by students.
