October 19, 2001

Senate Panel Addresses Student Visa Monitoring

At an Oct. 12 hearing of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Technology, Terrorism, and Government Information, Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) noted their commitment to requiring foreign students studying in the United States to help pay for a tracking system, and for institutions to collect the associated fees. In testimony and a letter endorsed by over 40 organizations, including the AAMC, David Wade, president of the American Council on Education (ACE), stated the community's preference for federal emergency funds to implement the tracking system quickly. Senator Feinstein also supports the use of federal funds to get the system up and running, but cautioned against continued federal funding and favors a fee system paid by the students and collected by the schools. The tracking system, known as the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS), also called CIPRIS, is a real-time electronic tracking system that would notify the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) whenever a student changes visa status.

Information: Jonathan Fishburn, AAMC Office of Governmental Relations, 202-828-0525.