The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : New fee mandatory for US-bound students

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Oct 11, 2004

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

New fee mandatory for US-bound students

By R. Ravikanth Reddy

HYDERABAD, OCT. 10. Under the new federal tracking rules of the Unites States, foreign students planning to study in the US will have to pay $ 100 more under the Student and Exchange and Visitor Information System (SEVIS), a newly introduced concept to keep track of international students studying in all the US universities. The new fee has come into effect from September 1 this year and students have to submit their applications for visa only after paying the SEVIS fee or else they would be rejected.

Scholars and exchange visitors will also have to pay the fee through the Internet with a credit card or a cheque in dollars payable to identified US financial institutions. Following payment, students will be mailed a receipt that must be presented when they apply for the visa.

Simple procedure

The fee is being collected to maintain the tracking system of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

SEVIS allows the DHS to collect and manage the information for foreign students and exchange visitors in the United States by maintaining up-to-date data that can be accessed electronically. SEVIS has simplified what was once a manual process, resulting in more accurate and timely data, faster processing and fewer delays for student and exchange visitors. Nearly eight million students and exchange visitors are registered with SEVIS at over 8,700 approved schools and programmes in the US.

Cause of concern

However, the new system is not only burdening the students at the entry point itself but is also likely to put an additional financial load on them once they enter the institutions as several universities have also decided to increase the fee by $ 50 to $ 100 per semester due to the new DHS tracking rules. They will now have to add necessary staff, software and equipment to support the system.

Some universities that have increased the fee for international students include the University of Florida and University of South Florida while universities across the country are also considering a hike. "This is certainly a cause of concern for Indian students," says an educational consultant in the city.

"A majority of the students are not aware of this new fee and they need to pay it before going for the visa," says an aspirant. Students can look in for more information on the mode of payment on the website - www.fmjfee.com.

The new fee may not be sweet to the aspirants' ears, but it has been opposed by several groups in the US universities when the proposal was made. Some groups within the US raised objections that international students were being targeted unfairly. Apprehensions have also been raised that international students stand to lose from SEVIS with increased risk of deportation if they engage in such suspicious activities like even dropping a class.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Andhra Pradesh

News Update

Stories in this Section