April 4, 2018 | The Clarion
Campus News
Page 3
Brevard's Internationals
The legal way to apply for a US VISA
(and the legal way to be rejected)
By Calum McAndrew
Managing Editor
A lot of debate surrounds the topic of immigration to the United States,
especially illegal immigration. The legal process to acquiring a VISA
into the United States thus sometimes seems to slip through the cracks.
While the subject of who should and who should not be allowed into the
country splits Democrats and Republicans, there is a blind eye turned to
the extortionate, outdated, and frankly bizarre process required to acquire
legal entry to this country.
Even in the case of a one-year extension to an existing student VISA,
the process is extremely complicated and irrationally expensive.
The optional practical training VISA, as reported in an earlier addition
of the Clarion, is a one-year extension to the F-1, or student, VISA.
There are several conditions that must be met for US Homeland Security
to even glance in the approximate direction of this application, and these
conditions must be followed to the letter.
Several forms pertaining to the applicant must be obtained and copied.
These include forms 1-765, and an up to date 1-20. In addition to this, a
copy of the applicant’s passport must be made, as well as a copy of their
current VISA.
Two passport style headshot photographs also make the list, and they
must be recent. Any passport style photograph more than one month old
is unacceptable. These can be purchased for somewhere in the region of
15 dollars.
A detailed job description for any and every piece of employment from
the start date of the OPT, to the end date of the OPT, is also to be included.
The type of job the applicant can take is limited, as they must find a job
that is directly related to their field of study in college.
Finally, a cheque, written out to Homeland Security for the value of
410 US Dollars, is also to be attached in the application form. Once all
of this has been completed, the folder of documents and pay slips is sent
to Homeland Security, who used to have to respond within 90 days. This
CALUM'S COLUMl^
maximum response time, since January 2017, no longer exists.
In addition to this, the BBC reports that applicants in the future will
now also have to, “disclose all social media identities used in the past
five years,” which on top of all the other problems this system has, adds
possible freedom of speech rights infringement to the list.
It is a long, stressful, expensive process for an international student
who wishes to work in the U.S. for one year. This process becomes even
longer, when an incredibly vague letter of rejection is returned.
Attached to the rejection letter are the copious forms, photos and cheque
provided in the initial application procedure. The check worth 410 dollars,
despite my application being rejected, was never refunded.
Thus begins the process of attempting to find out why the VISA was
rejected in the first place. With all the necessary attachments, surely the
decision had to be a formality?
The first agent could not provide me with an answer to my question,
and thus forwarded me on to another agent - with whom I had to book an
appointment to speak to. After leaving my name and phone number, an
automated message informed me that it would take Homeland Security
an average of 237 minutes to return my call.
280 minutes later, an agent phoned. When asked to provide a reason
for why my case was rejected, as not to repeat the mistake in a later
application, the agent revealed that he did not have this information.
Instead, I would have to visit another website, enter my details, and they
would provide me with this explanation - in another 21 days.
The immigration system is broken, even for someone from a country that
Donald Trump, presumably, does not consider to be a “shithole.” Before
anyone begins to discuss fixing the problem with immigrants entering
the country illegally, the system must have a functioning legal method.
Currently, it does not.
Holocaust field trip
Continued from Page 1
Garden Restaurant in downtown Asheville,” said Tucker. “Students tried
new foods including lamb and hummus.”
Finally, the groups spent the afternoon at Beth HaTephila Synagogue
and School in Asheville where they learned more about Jewish cultural
and religious traditions.
“Education Director Tobi Koritsky showed us their sacred Torah scrolls
as well as works of art, other sacred objects including books and a shofar,
and their school classrooms,” said Tucker. “We have read about some of
these traditions in our literature, so it was neat to see them in person.”
One student in the class, Julie Carter, recalls her time on the field trip,
“Dr. Ziffer spoke on his experiences of his life in the camps and the
feeling of finding his family after the war. He recalled that his father was
left emotionless after everything.”
After lunch, we visited a Jewish synagogue where we got to see their
Torah and some of their practices that they abide by,” said Carter. “It
was unforgettable to be able to shake the hand of a Holocaust survivor.”
“I was surprised by how upbeat Zitfer was, especially considering
everything he went through,” said Max Beeler, another student on the
field trip.
“I hope the students treasure these meaningful experiences, and as our
time with living Holocaust survivors is drawing to a close, I feel sure they
will always remember Dr. Ziffer in particular,” said Tucker.
The ENG 208 class in Asheville, meeting with Holocaust survivors and learning
about the Jewish religion and culture.