Thread: Over 10,000 Saudi Students US- Bound

10,000 on student visas but at least they'll be legal until their visas expire

http://aawsat.com/english/news.asp?section=1&id=2323

23/10/2005
By Omar El Okeily & Najah al Osaymi

Riyadh, Asharq Al-Awsat- More than 10,000 Saudi students will travel to the US to attend university as part of a government-sponsored program following the adoption of new measures by the Ministry of Higher Education aimed at facilitating travel procedures for Saudis. In total, 21,000 Saudis are expected to take part in the program in the next four years.

Prospective students can submit their applications to the Ministry of Higher Education through a Ministry special office or its website for nine different specializations and will be able to benefit from assistance with their visa applications at the US embassy and its diplomatic missions throughout the country.

Fahd al Manur, a student who decided to enroll in the program told Asharq al Awsat, “I do not fear traveling to the US since Americans are a friendly people. Relations between our two countries have greatly improved recently and travel procedures are easier nowadays after being almost impossible following September 11th 2001.� Studying in the US would be a dream come true, he added, despite recent events. King Abdullah’s visit earlier this year strengthened bilateral relations and “reassured Saudis.�

Currently studying in the U.S., Mohammad al Mateeri described the initiative as an important step and described how in eight years of living in the US, “I have never been hassled, save for an increase in security checks to which a country is entitled to when protecting its citizens.�

His wife, Afaf, also a Saudi national, confirmed that Americans have been very friendly to the couple and treated them with respect. Once, however, she was detained for 24hours at a Washington D.C airport after a short visit to Saudi Arabia because of a mix up in names but was treated with respect and courtesy.

In the wake of the September 11 attacks on US cities, several Saudi students were detained around the U.S. Bandar al Qowaifal, who left home at 18 to attend university in America recalled his arrest. “After al Qaeda’s attacks, I was arrested for one whole month and extradited to Saudi Arabia . They didn’t have anything against me except some minor irregularities in my visa I hadn’t paid attention to. I am waiting for the right to time to go back to the US and resume my studies.� After applying to the exchange program and benefiting from relaxed visa procedures, Bandar is now back in the US studying at his own expense.

A PhD student, Saad al Sowaylim told Asharq al Awsat he was eagerly awaiting his return to the US to complete his degree, despite living through a difficult time while studying at John Hopkins University , three years ago. He felt it was important to correct the wrong impression some Americans had of Arab students in their country.

The Minister of Higher Education assist those already accepted in US universities by providing them with bank guaranteed and a recommendation to facilitate US embassy visa procedures.

Sources at the Ministry told Asharq al Awsat that the number of applicants who hope to attend US universities has reached 15,000 thousand, with the majority studying for B.A degrees.

Half of the prospective students will be sponsored by Saudi businesses to further their knowledge in a given field making use of bilateral treaties offering Saudis a number of opportunities in U.S. universities across the country.

The article does not say how many of these students we will be funding through this State Department scholarship program whereby they give our taxes to foreign students to come here and take a seat that a US citizen should have?

For every foreign student allowed into "John Hopkins" how many American students will be denied....God if I had money I would put it in court...

www.nwanews.com

U.S. universities see broad influx of Saudi students
BY MARK MINTON

Posted on Sunday, November 6, 2005


Saudi Arabia is sending thousands of its college students to America in a sharp reversal of the clampdown that has kept young Saudis away since the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks.

The first students are beginning to report for English classes on campuses in Arkansas and around the country only six months after President Bush invited then-Crown Prince Abdullah to his Texas ranch and pledged to streamline the often difficult procedure for Saudi students to get travel visas.

The result : As many as 25,000 Saudi students are expected to arrive over the next five years, with all their bills paid by the Saudi government.

They are a rich prize for U. S. colleges frustrated by declining enrollments of foreign students since the terror attacks and eager to spread western education.

But immigration critics, recalling that 15 of the 19 Sept. 11 hijackers were Saudi Arabian, including one who was in the United States on an education visa, question bringing in more young Saudis when the country’s security safeguards are still far from perfect.

Admissions offices at several schools in Arkansas said they are inundated by applications.

The University of Arkansas has received 184 thus far and has admitted 97 Saudi students, said Lynn Mosesso, director of graduate and international admissions, and of sponsored students programs.

Jalal Mahdi Al-Zayer, 19, arrived in Fayetteville last month, with a year at King Fahd University behind him and designs on a computer-science degree. He said he chose Arkansas on his father’s recommendation : “My father said, ‘It’s a small city. A university.’ That’s it.�

Al-Zayer put in for the scholarship after he saw a full-page newspaper ad promoting the government scholarships. “Many, many, many� students in Saudi Arabia are lining up for them, he said.

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock and the University of Central Arkansas also have seen sharp increases â€â€

“You can never compromise security,� he said. “But you want to implement security in a way that is consistent with America being open to the world and allowing foreign students to our educational institutions.�

What security; the US has NO security!