ISU students from the Middle East said recent changes to a post-Sept. 11 program will make it easier Middle Eastern visitors to travel in and out of the United States.

On Dec. 1, the Department of Homeland Security announced it was suspending requirements requiring foreign visitors to the United States to re-register under the National Security Entry/Exit Registration System, or NSEERS.

NSEERS was implemented by the Department of Homeland Security following the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks to identify international visitors from 25 countries.

According to the Department of Homeland Security Web site, the new rule will allow the department to notify individual non-immigrant aliens subject to NSEERS registration to appear for one or more additional registration interviews only in cases where it may be necessary to determine whether the alien is complying with the conditions of his or her non-immigrant visa status and admission.

The rule also provides that when an alien who is monitored under Student and Exchange Visitor Information System, or SEVIS, notifies the Department of Homeland Security of a change of address or change of educational institution through SEVIS, it also constitutes a notification for the purposes of NSEERS registration.

Saddam Khattak, senior in computer engineering and president of the ISU Muslim Student Association, said the new rules add relief for international students who may have missed a re-registration deadline.

“Before, it was very difficult to re-register and it was definitely bad if you missed a registration deadline,” Khattak said. “The changes made are very positive.”

Adeel Ahmed, senior in computer engineering and media secretary of the Muslim Student Association, said he feels the changes to the program are a much-needed improvement.

“I think the changes are much better than before,” Ahmed said. “They seem to be more thought out. As long as [NSEERS] is not directed toward a specific group of people, the changes should work better.”

According to the Department of Homeland Security Web site, NSEERS established a national registry for temporary foreign visitors from certain countries who met a combination of intelligence-based criteria or who were identified as presenting an elevated national security concern.

The program collected detailed information about the background and purpose of an individual’s visit to the United States, the periodic verification of their location and their departure and confirmation.