A team of officials from the Student and Exchange Visitor Program, or SEVP, of the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement office, Department of Homeland Security in Arlington, Virginia will arrive on Saipan in November to expedite the processing of school qualifications.
This one-time program is designed specifically for the CNMI and will result in qualified schools receiving on-the-spot SEVP certification.
The certification and accompanying on-line training will be the first part of a two-step process designed to help foreign students now in the CNMI receive U.S. visas that will be necessary to continue their studies with exit and re-entry privileges after the full implementation of federalization.
The program, which will include close on-site coordination with private schools and Northern Marianas College, will pave the way for a continuation of foreign student education as a complimentary companion to the CNMI’s tourism industry.
Ada first met with SEVP officials on Sept. 22 in Arlington, Virginia, where the idea of expedited processing was raised. SEVP certification is a requirement for all schools with U.S. immigration jurisdiction to host foreign students.
The meeting was followed up last week by Inos, who met with officials from the U.S. State Department and a representative of SEVP in Washington D.C.
“Federalization of immigration has been an extremely difficult issue for the CNMI and I would like to thank the director of SEVP, Mr. Louis Farrell and his team for recognizing the CNMI’s unique circumstances. In our meeting, Mr. Farrell came up with the idea of sending a team to the CNMI to expedite certification for the schools, which normally takes many months,” said Ada.
Inos met with State Department officials on Oct. 6 for a further briefing on the program and the second step in the process, which is the processing of different types of U.S. student visas.
“Certifying our schools is the necessary first step to the CNMI continuing to welcome foreign students to our islands. However, the governor and I have been equally concerned that after Nov. 28, our existing foreign students might not be able to exit and then re-enter following the Christmas holiday break. This could interfere with these students’ plans to see their families — not to mention the potential impact on local private schools and NMC,” said Inos.
“The State Department assured me that with some planning on their part, our students will get expedited processing at U.S. embassies abroad so they can return to the CNMI following their vacations.”
Inos reiterated that an education campaign on how the schools and students of different nationalities can qualify will be forthcoming from the SVEP team.
Student advisors in the schools will also play a key role going forward.
The processing time for students of different nationalities will vary and will require some advance planning if students wish to exit for the 2009 holiday break.
“This assurance and the upcoming visit of the SVEP team to the CNMI is one of the most pro-active steps we have seen during the federalization transition thus far,” said Inos.
“The Office of the Governor and secretary of Commerce will coordinate this program closely with SVEP and the State Department over the coming month.”
According to the CNMI Department of Commerce, which currently overseas foreign student regulations in the commonwealth, these students currently represent approximately $1.6 million in benefits to the CNMI economy or roughly $20,000 per student per year in annual expenditures when considering tuition, housing and on-island purchases.
“We greatly appreciate the cultural exchange opportunities these students bring to our community, not to mention the economic benefits of keeping and growing our education industry,” said Inos.
“Most importantly, we want these students to know that they can stay after federalization, finish their studies, and if they want to go home to visit their families during the holidays, they can do so and are welcome to come back to our islands.”
