Visas Extended for Students, Scientists

After months of trying to strike a balance between openness and security, State Department officials have changed immigration rules to allow foreign researchers and students in science and technology fields classified as “sensitive” to maintain their US visa clearances for up to four years.

“This change will ensure that the US continues to have access to the world’s best and brightest scientists, and that’s good for science and for security,” said Representative Sherwood Boehlert (R-NY), chairman of the House Committee on Science.

The Visas Mantis program was established in 1998 to prevent scientists from transferring protected technology out of the US. In the wake of the September 11th attacks, the program was tightened, and foreign scientists and many students were required to undergo complete security reviews every time they left the US and wanted to return. The reviews were cumbersome and often took months. As a result, many of the students and scientists found it risky to leave the US for any reason.

In 2003 a one-year clearance period was implemented, but that was of little help to foreign students, researchers, and scholars involved in multiyear programs. The new policy grants clearances of two years to researchers and scholars, and four years to students. The extended clearances apply only to those returning to the same program or activity for which the visa was originally granted.

The relaxation of standards came after George Atkinson, science adviser to the secretary of state, joined the consular affairs and nonproliferation bureaus to negotiate for the change with officials at the departments of Homeland Security and Justice. While the science and technology communities have long been concerned about the problems the Visas Mantis restrictions have caused, Atkinson said, government officials concerned with security have been worried about just that: security. (See the article by Amy Flatten, Physics Today, February 2005, page 49 .)

“It is a balance,” he said. “There is much to be appreciated about the changes, but there is more to be done.”