Every year students return to campus relieved to be finished with applications, financial aid forms and moving in – a handful are happy just to be in the U.S. Students from about 100 different countries enrolled at the University this semester but not without snags along the way. Many prepared for their stay months in advance and went through the long and often difficult immigration process. Nneka Uwaemelu, biochemistry sophomore from Nigeria, encountered several problems when applying for her temporary visa. Her English literacy test and visa interview dates were delayed several times since March 2006. She enrolled at the University in August that same year. When she finally went to her visa appointment, the interviewer questioned her ties in Nigeria to ensure she did not intend to stay in the U.S. after graduation and her reason for traveling to America. Uwaemelu said some people may lie about being a student to get a visa. “They would want to know if you know anything about your major,” Uwaemelu said. “They tell people, ‘You don’t sound like you’re going to school.'” Uwaemelu said her father always wanted her to immigrate to the U.S., and she decided to attend the University because of the quick response she received from its admissions office. Firat Caglar, information systems senior from Turkey, traveled to Istanbul where he waited two hours at the U.S. Consulate for his visa interview. Caglar planned to attend college in the U.S. since his sophomore year in high school. “[Obtaining a visa] was easy because I was coming for school,” Caglar said. “If you pay your taxes and don’t do illegal stuff, you’ve got it.” Natalie Rigby, International Services Office director, said students from areas where immigration to the U.S. is high for those with the same name as another person from the same country will go through a longer process. She said students must convince visa officers at their U.S. Consulate that they should be allowed to visit the country, explain how their study abroad would be funded and their overall intent for studying in the U.S. “A student’s dream is decided in about two minutes,” Rigby said. “It can be a pretty stressful experience.”
—-Contact Olivia Hernandez [email protected]