Speech #1100138597

Senator BINGAMAN and I introduced a similar bill designed to reverse the decline in the number of foreign students studying at American colleges and universities. At that time. international applications to U.S. graduate schools and to English as a Second Language. ESL. programs were plummeting. and visa delays were numbering in the thousands. Visa delays were also negatively impacting the scientific and business communities. resulting in billions of dollars of losses for the U.S. economy. as scientific research. conferences. and business meetings had to be canceled and shifted to overseas locations. Over the past 3 years. there have been improvements with visa issuance. and it is the State Departments Bureau of Consular Affairs. particularly Assistant Secretary Maura Harty. who deserves much of the credit. I am pleased with their advancements to enhance consular staff. adopt newer. more efficient technology. offer international students. scholars. and exchange visitors preferential consideration when scheduling inperson interview appointments. and extend security clearance validity. The Department also has established a business visa center to field inquiries from U.S. businesses and their worldwide counterparts. although the center cannot expedite inperson interview appointments or the processing of visa applications. This is not to say that visa delays have disappeared entirely. Delays do continue to occur. albeit not at the huge volume they once were. Because of this. there is a lot of lingering uncertainty about the process which generates a great deal of concern for international students. scholars. exchange visitors. and business travelers. and reinforces a perception that America is not a welcoming place for international visitors. Indeed. serious concerns remain regarding the U.S. position in the competition for international talent. particularly among higher education. the scientific community. and the private sector. Our competitiveness problem is not just a visa problemwe cannot solve it simply by fixing the visa problems that were created after 9/11. The U.S. now faces strong competition for international students. scholars. scientists. and exchange visitors. The United Kingdom.