US expects us to be honest
Mere stamping of a US visa does not indicate that the holder of thevisa can enter the US. The visa can be rejected at the Port of Entry by the Customs, the border protection officers, the Immigration and Customs enforcement officers, and/or the Department of Homeland Security officers. At the port of entry, the CBP/ICE/DHS officers have the right to question and authenticate anyone seeking entry to the US.
If the officer finds/senses that there is some discrepancy, he or she has the right to revoke and withdraw the visa. Upon revoking the visa,the applicant is banned entry for a period of three to 10 years.
The US treats as fraud any document that is not genuine and cannot be authenticated. If interview questions are not answered properly and the purpose of visit not stated correctly, entry is denied. Some deported Indian students had less than $2 in their bank accounts. Some of them said in answer to questions from officials that they were planning to work and earn money part-time to pay their tuition fee. Rule is clear that international students cannot work in an illegalmanner in the US. If a student wants to work, university approval is a pre-requisite.
The answers given by Indian students before the US officials were “generic”. It was found that their documentation was fake, students interacted with seniors in the university on WhatsApp, Facebook etc and discussed about part-time jobs, easy ways of passing exams, ways to get good grades, the universities in which tuition fee is cheap, and how quickly they could graduate and start earning money.
US laws are strict. US universities expect international students to work hard and be honest and keep up the university’s reputation. However, it so happens that US universities are having bad experiences with Indian students, and more so with Telugu-speaking students. “The first and foremost of these is that students make fun of their professors in Telugu language. Students unscrupulously copy their assignments and seek “Easy Pass Grades” even as they acquire very little knowledge in the subject.
In the past, there were instances of students having been caught while stealing items from Walmart, and selling cigars to underage kids.
Police had to intervene and keep such actions under wraps for the reason the university officials sided with these students, saying they were not aware of the rules.
Students, upon arrival in the US, try to take their seniors’ help to transfer themselves to easy and cheap institutions so that they can work 80 to 120 hours a week and earn money. I have encountered students whose profiles say their academic percentage was 55 per cent, backlogs 55 per cent etc. Still they wanted seats in reputed institutions.
These students demanded admissions in universities located near big cities in the hope they could work part-time in gas stations, grocery stores, cell phone stores, construction companies etc.
Ravi Lothumalla, The writer is Overseas Educational Advisor & CEO, US Admissions, Texas.
US must state all do’s, don’ts
Several students belonging to the Telugu states were deported from the US as the universities to which they were admitted, namely Silicon Valley University and Northwestern Polytechnic University, were under scrutiny by the US government. The students went through a harrowing experience before they were deported from the US. Some of them, including a girl, were sent to a US prison in San Francisco, where they had to share space with hardcore criminals like smugglers and drug convicts.
Universities that have mushroomed in the US in recent years are cashing in on the craze for US education among parents and students in India. With a serious shortage of employment opportunities back home, many gullible parents and students fall prey to agents who promise them admission to US universities even without good scores of GRE/TOEFEL. Most of the universities involved in this are dubious one.
They do not have proper campuses and track record; to get students, they pay agents huge commission.
Every year, about three lakh students from Telugu states alone pass out of engineering colleges. Many opt for pursuing higher education in the US. Parents take huge loans about '15 to 20 lakh for US travel/education of their children to enable them pursue higher education in the US. At the end of their education, they realise that the degrees they got are not recognized or accredited. Many of them opt to do petty jobs in the US. They are often deported, while some manage to stay illegally in the country.
In recent years, many US universities are entering into MoUs with Indian institutions especially private engineering colleges to lure students. Students would do well to check the credentials of these US universities before taking admissions. From JNTU-H side, in the past, we cancelled the MoUs of several private engineering colleges that were entered into with low-profile universities in the US. We received several complaints against colleges for signing MoUs with such universities to cash in on the craze for foreign degree.
WHAT THE US CONSULATE/GOVERNMENTS SHOULD DO
Give proper advisory to students about Dos and Dont’s before they proceed to the US, in the government websites, so that they are not put to any inconvenience after reaching the US.
Students should have access to a list of universities in the US and other countries whose courses and degrees are recognised by their respective governments. This will enable students and parents select only such universities that are recognised for pursuing higher education.There is also need to regulate and monitor overseas educational consultancies/agencies that have mushroomed in India recently. Many such consultants get huge commission from mediocre and low-ranking universities for admitting students.
There is also the need to formulate guidelines through statutory bodies like UGC/AICTE/PCI to enable Indian private colleges to enter into an MOU only with high- ranking US universities.
Prof N.V. Ramana Rao, The writer is a former Registrar & Professor of Civil Engineering, JNTU-H
