Steven Kawaler speaks highly of Qian Wang, a Chinese graduate student in the department of physics and astronomy.

“He’s a nice kid,” said Kawaler, professor of physics and astronomy. “He’s bright, energetic and I was looking forward to working with him. I’m still looking forward to it.”

But Kawaler will have to wait.

Wang, a second-year graduate student who was scheduled to begin work as a teacher’s assistant for Kawaler this year, is currently in China because his visa is being held for checking by immigration authorities.

The check, which may take months to complete, will involve a security screening of Wang’s background and must be completed before he is allowed to re-enter the country — if he is allowed to re-enter at all.

Wang, Kawaler said, was scheduled to arrive before the first day of classes and take a doctorate qualifying exam with the rest of his second-year graduate classmates.

But until Chinese and American officials verify Wang’s intentions for entry into the country and satisfy themselves that he plans to return to China after his studies have concluded, he will be kept from his duties at Iowa State.

This, Kawaler said, is not a new issue, nor is it an uncommon one, particularly for Chinese students.

“This has been a problem for a number of years with students who want to come to America to study,” he said. “Usually, it’s only a problem with new students, but now it has gotten worse. Now, if they leave the country to go visit their families, sometimes they can’t get their visas cleared to come back.”

A similar situation befell Zengliu Su, a biochemistry graduate student, last year after he returned to China for his wedding. In a letter to the Iowa State Daily detailing his ordeal, Su said his re-entry visa was delayed by new security features used by American immigration officials.

“Because of the check, each of us will be absent one or two semesters and our research projects have to be stopped,” he said. “We cannot get any information from the embassy or consulate. Waiting desperately is the only thing we can do.”

Now back in Ames, Su regards the eight months he spent waiting for his visa to clear as a somewhat necessary but unfortunate result of events inside the United States that altered the perception of student visas.

“After 9/11, policies changed on obtaining a visa,” he said.

There is no way to predict how long Wang will have to wait in his hometown of Shanghai before he is allowed to return to the United States.

Brenda Thorbs-Weber, assistant director of the International Education Services department, said the check could take months, depending on in how many databases Wang’s name appears.

“Every year, there are students who may be denied visas,” she said. “Ultimately, most do get visas. But Chinese students may have the additional problem of convincing their home government that they plan to return home after their study visa expires.”

For Kawaler, Wang’s absence is a reminder of how difficult it must be for students to study in America, far from their homes.

“I was disappointed, and kind of frustrated that we have to face these sorts of problems for students who just want to visit their homes,” Kawaler said.