[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 2 (Thursday, January 7, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E61]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           F-1 STUDENT VISAS

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. BILL McCOLLUM

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, January 6, 1999

  Mr. McCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker, today I am introducing legislation to give 
American high schools the ability to welcome foreign exchange students 
into their schools without requiring them to charge tuition. I am 
pleased to be joined by my colleagues, Mr. Frank of Massachusetts and 
Mr. Pickett of Virginia.
  It was brought to my attention that individual schools which 
participate in informal programs to allow foreign exchange students to 
attend school in the U.S. are required to charge these same students 
tuition. The F-1 visa is for students who seek to enter the U.S. 
temporarily and solely to pursue a course of study. Under existing law, 
even if the school and the local school district do not want to charge 
the student for accepting an invitation to study in the U.S., the 
student will not be able to receive an F-1 visa without paying the fee. 
In some cases, the school, which otherwise would welcome a foreign 
exchange student, may be deterred from allowing them to attend due to 
the administrative burden of administering the fee. In other cases, 
American schools entering into informal sister-school exchanges with a 
foreign school may find that they are forced to charge the foreign 
student tuition while the American student is attending their sister-
school for free.
  This tuition requirement does not apply to foreign students who come 
to the U.S. to study in a program designated by the Director of the 
United States Information Agency (USIA). These students receive a J 
visa and are not required to reimburse the school for the cost of their 
attendance. On the other hand, foreign exchange students in the U.S. 
under an F-1 visa are usually attending school under informal 
arrangements, with a teacher or parent having invited them to spend 
time in the U.S. as a gesture of American hospitality and goodwill. 
Some schools participate in informal sister-school exchanges where one 
of their students will go abroad and the school in turn will sponsor a 
foreign student here. Although these are informal, flexible, private 
arrangements between schools and students that are not designated by 
the USIA, they are no less valuable in developing goodwill and greater 
understanding among people of different nations. In many cases, it 
simply does not make sense to charge tuition to foreign exchange 
students simply because they have an F-1 visa rather than a J visa.
  The legislation I am introducing today will give schools the ability 
to have the Attorney General waive the F-1 visa tuition fee 
requirement. Schools that certify that the waiver will promote the 
educational interest of the local educational agency and will not 
impose an undue financial burden on the agency will be able to allow 
foreign exchange students to attend without charging a fee. on the 
other hand, schools that do not want to waive the fee will still be 
able to collect it. This legislation will simply give schools added 
flexibility to sponsor foreign exchange students without limiting the 
right of schools to collect needed fees. I urge all my colleagues to 
support this legislation.

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