Five months ago, I left Ames for my wedding. I had planed to start my spring term three weeks late, but my life was changed because of a new visa clearance policy. About 500 Chinese students and scholars were checked and delayed when they applied for their re-entry visas. We understand that an effective policy is necessary for security reasons, but the length of the check process is uncertain and very long. Most of us have been waiting for three to five months, some eight months. Because of the check, each of us will be absent one or two semesters and our research projects have to be stopped. We cannot get any information from the embassy or consulate. Waiting desperately is the only thing we can do.

I have no job and no income. I had tried to find a part-time job, but the employers didn’t want to hire me when I told them that I will go study in the United States immediately after I get my visa. The visa officer in Chengdu Consulate of China told me the check process might be one or two weeks five months ago.

Twenty years ago, China closed its doors to the western countries. At that time, most Chinese people believed that the “western idea” would ruin our beautiful life. Now we know that western people, just like Chinese people, are very nice and peace-loving.

I only want to pursue my higher education in the United States because they have the best education system, best professors and best scientists.

For security reasons, the check process is necessary. I just hope the American people pay more attention to Chinese students’ visa problems, and hope the Washington check agents spend a little more time to increase the speed of the check process.

You can get more information about this issue from: http://www.columbia.edu/cu/cucssa/news/visa/checkee_list.html. There are still 334 checkees waiting for the check results.

Zengliu Su

Graduate Student

Biochemistry