College administrators are confident that new and proposed federal regulations that potentially restrict visas for international students will not cause any problems for those currently enrolled at Dartmouth.
For future students, however, the outlook is less certain.
"I don't anticipate [any] kind of problem at all" for current students, such as visas being revoked, Director of the International Office Steven Silver said.
"As long as an international student is maintaining a full course of study and maintaining valid legal status," there is no cause for alarm, said Kenneth Reade, a student advisor in the International Office.
The Enhanced Border Security and Visa Reform Act, passed by the House of Representatives on Dec. 19, would prevent certain students from countries accused of sponsoring terrorism from entering the United States. Those countries currently include Cuba, Iran, Iraq, Libya, North Korea, Sudan and Syria.
"We do have some students from those countries," Reade said, though he did not reveal which ones for reasons of privacy.
The College does not expect to know the full impact of this law "until new students are admitted and matriculated at Dartmouth," Silver said.
"We are hopeful that international students and scholars will have enough time to have their backgrounds checked by the State Department offices to enable them to get to Dartmouth on time," he said.
The U.S.A. Patriot Act, passed by Congress and signed into law last October, not only requires that educational institutions report data on their students, but allows the FBI and other agencies to receive student data collected for research purposes under the National Education Statistics Act.
Reade added that "we are absolutely confident that we are prepared to do the [required] reporting [and] comply with all federal regulations."
In general, international students who spoke to The Dartmouth were unconcerned about the effects of new and pending legislation on the subject of student visas.
Nikhil Bharadwaj '03, who is from India, was unconcerned about the federal government's knowledge of his personal information.
"I have no problem with the [Immigration and Naturalization Service] having information about where I am, if it increases security," he said.
Andrew Biteen '04 was aware of the changes, but doubted that they will affect him because he is from Canada.
Canadian Ryan Sinclair '02 said he was unaware of the proposed changes in immigration policy, though he said he had noticed increased security.
Sinclair said he has not yet experienced problems with visas, though he has not sought a work permit. "We'll see, I guess, after I graduate, since I definitely want to work in the States," he said.
Vivek Menon '02, who holds Indian citizenship though his diplomat parents now live in Ireland, said, "I do know they changed some of the rules regarding visas."
He currently holds an F-1 student visa, but explained that there is a time limit on such visas. In order to remain in the U.S., he said he would have to change it to a work visa a year after he graduates.
Bharadwaj said that he was also unsure about obtaining a work visa. "Depending on how bad it gets, that will influence my decision," he said.
While Silver said that Dartmouth "students and scholars have returned from travels all over the globe and we've not had any problems returning for Winter term," some students did report hassles.
According to Sinclair, immigration officers inspected his bag at Boston Logan Airport after a flight from London Heathrow, and he was asked to remove his shoes for inspection before the flight.
His parents also experienced difficulty with security. "My parents came across the border to pick me up and they waited an hour and a half," and border officials inspected their car, he said.
Menon flew to the U.S. from Europe on Sept. 18, soon after air travel resumed following the Sept. 11 attacks, and said "they were pretty thorough" in searching his bags.
Biteen said that U.S. border guards are "a little more deliberate these days" in their inspection of his documents.
