Hyderabad: Parents of students studying in the two California universities — Silicon Valley University, San Jose, and North Western Polytechnic University, Fremont — and those whose wards have got visas and are about to depart are baffled by recent developments. Most of them have taken education loans; each family spends between Rs 14 lakh and Rs 20 lakh on students pursuing MS in US universities.
Mr P. Srikanth a parent and a resident of Hyderabad whose daughter has secured admission in North Western Polytechnic University said, “We have taken an education loan to fund the studies of my daughter. She got around 6.2 IELTS score and the consultant suggested NPU. She has to travel to the US in the next two days. We are worried by these developments. Her friends who are already studying in NPU are saying there is no issue.”
He added, “The cost would be around '16 lakh for the entire course. We didn’t choose Illinois University as we were told to pay $5,000 per semester before they sent us the I-20. They only said partial payment would be refunded if we failed to get the visa. So we chose NPU.”
Some who were deported by NPU had been sent to the US by I-20 Services Overseas Consultants at Dilsukhnagar. Mr K. Pramod of I-20 Consultants said, “Three to four of the students who got admission through us were deported. We have sent only a few students to NPU and we are sending more to other universities. Usually students contact their friends who are studying there and select the universities. Depending on the education profile and score of the students they get admissions. In some universities it would cost Rs 14 lakh and others it would be around Rs 16 to Rs 17 lakh per course. We are paid commissions by the universities but students pay us only application charges.”
Meanwhile the North Western Polytechnic University has said that it was not blacklisted and that it would get its name cleared. The only problem was with the students getting stuck at US immigration, it said. NPU president Mr Peter Hsieh in a statement on December 22, said, “…NPU students are still arriving today as we speak and we are interviewing those who do arrive to learn of their experiences. We have demanded that Air India allow all NPU students to board and will contact any airline that causes problems for our students. We have contacted US immigration officials.”
He added, “We have learned that a small percentage of international students are being sent back to India, but only those that fail their immigration interviews, for example by communicating that they are coming to the US to work illegally or are unable to show sufficient identification or financial support. In no situation have we seen specific questions directed about NPU.”
He added, “Please remember to keep US laws in mind at all times. We have learned that upon arrival, international students from India, regardless of where they are studying, are being questioned extensively regarding their interest in studying and ability to pay for their studies and living expenses, so all NPU students should always be fully prepared to answer such detailed questions by immigration officials.”
NPU officials said they had spoken with a US Customs and Border Protection representative according to whose understanding no US government agency had “blacklisted” the university, and there was no general order for US Customs officers to refuse entry to NPU students. “Due to the recent attack in Paris, stricter customs screening measures are being applied to all travellers to the US. Therefore, NPU strongly urges that you please make sure to bring with you all necessary original documentation in order to make your customs screening as smooth as possible,” NPU said.
