By Arun Kumar, IANS,
Washington : US authorities have agreed to work closely with the Indian embassy here for early resolution of the problems faced by hundreds of Indian students affected by the closure of a fraud US university.
The agreement was reached during a meeting here between a group of Indian students of the Tri-Valley University (TVU) with Indian Ambassador Meera Shankar with representatives from the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Student Exchange Visitor Programme (SEVP) present.
There was a detailed and useful discussion and exchange of information on the manner in which the problems of students at TVU are being addressed, and some of the continuing concerns of the students, the embassy said.
“It was agreed that the students and representatives from ICE and SEVP would remain in touch with the Embassy to continue to work together for early resolution of the issue,”
The Embassy said it had also been informed by US authorities that more than 50 per cent of the students were at various stages of processing for reinstatement.
Other students were advised to contact ICE on their website (www.ice.gov/sevis), or contact their call centre at telephone 703-603-3400 to initiate the consideration of their cases.
Nearly 1,500 Indian students face the prospect of deportation unless they can secure admission to another school to maintain their visa status.
As many as 18 Indian students were radio tagged to prevent their fleeing. Anklet monitors of 11 of the students have since been removed following the intervention of the Indian consulate in San Francisco.
Earlier, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had in a Feb 22 letter to Shankar assured her that the State Department is following the case “closely and is working with the Department of Homeland Security and the Government of India to ensure fair and appropriate treatment of the students.”
Reiterating the strong commitment to foster educational exchanges with India, Clinton also said, “Indian students make a strong contribution to both our countries and it is among my priorities to ensure that this pillar of our partnership remains strong”.
(Arun Kumar can be contacted at [email protected])