Concerns over US visa rejections for African students

International education actors in Africa are uniting with their US partners and activists to call on the study destination’s government to ‘rethink’ visa policies for African students.

They posited that the high visa denial rates were the worst compared globally, including to the Middle East, South America and South Asia – data has shown refusals reached a high of 71% for Western Africa in 2022.

The high rejections were unfairly denying able and bright African students a chance at studying in universities in one of the world’s most popular destinations, the agents noted.

While appreciating that US visa issuances globally are still far below their peak in 2015, and that denial rates have risen from a low of 15% in 2014 to 36% in 2023, they feel that the rejections disproportionately affected Africans.

Concerted efforts, on the part of US HEIs and immigration authorities, agents and African governments, according to the group, could help reverse the situation in the future – and help bring visa issuance rates close to those of other parts of the world.

Part of the reasons for the visa refusals is the issuance system where there is a disconnect between the I-20 document issued by US higher learning institutions, and the process of issuing a visa by immigration authorities, said Shayne Aman Premji, co-founder of African study abroad platform, Craydel.

“Many universities and colleges in the US issue the I-20 after asking and taking a very low deposit of tuition fees, meaning that in the end a high number of applicants get the I-20 but fail to satisfy immigration officials that they are capable of paying the balance plus living costs,” he told The PIE News.

It was therefore important to initiate changes to ensure that the Form I-20 was more aligned with the visa process.

The Form I-20 is a certificate of eligibility issued by accredited colleges or universities for international students intending to study in the US,  proving that they are legitimate students and allowing them to commence the visa application.

While a high number of students are issued with the certificate after qualifying for a program and paying part of the of the fees charged for it, that did not mean that a prospective student had met all the conditions for study visa, nor was the holder of the document guaranteed of being issued with one.

Many US institutions ask for deposits of as low as 10%-20% of total fees meaning that so many parents and guardians are able to afford, only to later fail to prove to officials that they can raise the balance when applying for visas.

“This is unlike many countries in Europe, where universities require a higher percentage of tuition fees deposit before applying for a visa.

“And with lower tuition fees than their US counterparts, this makes it easier for applicants to convince authorities that they can raise the balance plus living expenses, resulting in relatively higher visa issuances and lower rejections,” he noted.

In the case of the US, Premji noted, students are also expected to personally go for visa interviews besides applying online for the document.  Many failed at this stage partly due to poor preparation and inexperience, a situation often made worse by poorly or incorrectly filled application forms.

“This means that agents must do more and ensure that they counsel their applicants throughout the process, and that is why as a study abroad platform, we combine the best of technology and human counselling to walk with our students every step of the way.

“It is for this reason that we advocate that every student needs to be extremely well-informed. A lot is required in the visa application process that is not explicitly listed on websites,” noted Premji, whose firm has offices in the US, Kenya, Nigeria and Uganda.

In some countries African students also failed visa interviews due to lack of verifiable identification documents including birth certificates, he explained. In such cases where authenticity of documents is in question, applications are usually rejected.

It is therefore upon individual governments in Africa, he suggested, to ensure that they digitalised and operated an integrated registration database, to make sure that it was possible to counter check the validity of documents held by citizens, for visa success rates to improve.

On the other hand, the US authorities should smoothen the visa process by making it easier to get a visa interview appointment, and ensure that it happened in good time without students having to wait for too long, Premji relented.

Despite the high refusals, it is unlikely that African students are deliberately discriminated by immigration authorities in the US, according to the managing director for Sharz Borderless Study Consults, based in Kampala, Uganda.

Hairah Kibuuka agreed that preparation and the role of an agent was important in clinching a visa, “Sometimes it’s really lack of preparation on the student’s side, but the most common reason is improper documentation”.

“One key problem is the failure to demonstrate sufficient ties with their respective home countries. That’s why it is always important to work with an agent so they can help you with the visa application,” she claimed.

“One key problem is the failure to demonstrate sufficient ties with their respective home countries”

She also noted that to some students struggle with applications, often overlooking details that are critical for the process – which is why an agent can be “vital” for application assistance.

To mitigate the high rejections against a growing yearning for studying abroad, African governments could work with their US counterpart to facilitate “controlled exchange programs,” to open the doors for wider access to overseas education for students including those “studying privately”, she suggested.

According to Fanta Aw, executive director of NAFSA, activists want to know the reason for the disproportionate number of denials where in contrast only 10% of European students were denied visas in 2023 – for example, an assurance the Africans are considered in the same way their counterparts from the rest of the  world.

Like Premji, Aw wants more student visa appointments for Africans noting that many students who prefer the US get discouraged and study elsewhere, she told the Voice of America.

“Word goes around, ‘Don’t bother, because you’re never going to make it’,” Aw added. “And that is not the message any of us want to see.”

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