INS Fee Might Cause Problems

Given the economic climate, some institutions that pledged their commitment to international students might be hard-pressed to implement the database.

Participation in the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System database will allow schools to admit new foreign students and permit old ones to return.

To participate in SEVIS, schools must pay the certification fee, complete an application form and install relevant software that will enable them to compile an international student database.

Schools that do not comply with the November deadline might not be able to enroll international students, states a Sept. 25 news release from the INS.

The new fee will be used to fund the administrative costs of enrollment, despite the $36.8 million appropriated by the U.S. Congress to facilitate development and implementation of the system.

More than half of the new certification fee will cover the cost of inspection because most campuses require an on-site visit. The remaining money will be used to process the application form, which enrolls the institution in SEVIS.

Bob Locke, director of UNC-Chapel Hill's International Center, said the timing of the application and inspection fees are not ideal. "(Universities) have already made financial decisions -- the year has already started."

Schools also will have to pay for new software and hardware, costing between $20,000 and $30,000, and hire additional staff, he said.

Although this fee increase was implemented during a time of financial difficulty, UNC-CH never questioned paying it, he said. "I don't see how (University officials) can avoid it. ... Unless the University pays, they will not be able to accept international students."

Rhonda Brown, immigration specialist at East Carolina University, said UNC-system officials will cover the additional program cost because they realize how important international students are to the campuses.

She said that despite universities' efforts, some foreign students might abandon plans to study in the United States because of additional paperwork.

A consulting firm commissioned by the INS suggested that international students should have to pay $54 each to cover the costs of this program.

But Brown said the cost of the system should be covered by the government, not the students or the campuses.

Though UNC-CH will implement the SEVIS system by January, Locke said the system is cumbersome. He added that developing a foreign student database is not a viable solution for reducing terrorism.

"The focus on international students (is misleading)," he said. "The media presents it as the answer to terrorism, but students only represent a small percentage and are traditionally heavily regulated. It could give people a false sense of security."

The State & National Editor can be reached at stntdesk@unc.edu.