FOR foreign science students hoping to study or work in the US, these are frustrating times. Since 9/11, Washington has increased its scrutiny of all those applying for US visas, but especially of scientists and engineers.
In principle there is nothing wrong with this policy. The government needs to take steps that will keep out potential attackers, and to ensure that students will not go home and use the knowledge they have gained to build a weapon for a terrorist organisation. Unfortunately, the clearance process has become so cumbersome and uncertain that legitimate students and researchers are being turned away or are simply giving up. Last year a government agency claimed it takes an average of 67 days for students to get security clearance from the State Department. Even top researchers are becoming reluctant to attend conferences in the US because of red tape over visas, and this has led some organisers to opt for other, more welcoming countries.
Now a coalition of science and education groups has released a petition appealing to Washington to streamline the visa process, warning of the damage the current delays are doing to US science. They are a formidable voice: signatories include the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the Association of American Universities. The coalition claims to represent 95 per cent of the nation鈥檚 researchers.
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The petition states that unless things improve, 鈥渢he damage to our nation鈥檚 higher education and scientific enterprises, economy, and national security would be irreparable鈥�. That may be overstating it: the damage, though significant, could probably be made good in the long run. But there is no doubt that science in the US has gained immeasurably from the ability of its institutions to attract the best minds from around the world. Driving them away risks slowing down progress in many fields.
There is another powerful reason to dispel the impression that the US is pulling up the drawbridge to foreign researchers. The Bush administration has often spoken of the importance of winning hearts and minds abroad, including the Middle East. Many students from the region would love to be able to study in the US. In denying them, Washington is missing out on an opportunity to break down prejudices and win itself friends and allies for the future.
The UN Development Programme鈥檚 Arab Human Development Report last year found that the number of Arab students studying in the US dropped by 30 per cent between 1999 and 2002. Reversing that trend would do as much for the US鈥檚 security as its tough new visa restrictions.