Growing More Grass...

Another great week in the life of this Grassy Advocate!  I was able to meet other International Educators from the great state of Alabama at the Alabama Association of International Educators conference in Auburn, AL.  Visiting other states who share the same problems or victories remind me how important the community of International Education is to our everyday work.

More importantly, I had a chance to encourage them to engage in the debate focused around a common-sense immigration process.  I lived in Alabama for 6 years and know first hand that if faces unique challenges in this debate.  The home of Civil Rights movement still has a long way to go to reach the goal of all being created equal in the eyes of the public...as we all do.  This idea reaches much further than black and white.....but a whole spectrum of folks.

A federal representative was able to call-in from DC to discuss the issue in detail.  It's always an honor to have such engagement from officials interested in the debate.  It seems there is a new development everyday toward a new process--it can be hard to keep up.  After the call, I was able to share the story of a student faced with challenge after challenge on his journey to and in the U.S. You can read more about it here.  It seems every time I tell his story, others know someone just like him.  Someone whose life was impacted greatly by the lack of a clear process.  Someone who only wanted to come and contribute to the U.S.--in the right way.

I asked the group what the best way to engage in this date would be.  Several commented and I offered a direct solution!  SJC! Senate Judiciary Committee.  Senator Jeff Sessions (R)-Alabama sits on the Senate Judiciary Committee focused on Immigration!  A direct path to someone who has great influence in this debate. I asked all attendees to visit Connecting Our World and contact Senator Sessions, and others, expressing their appreciation and support for a broader approach that addresses the many interrelated issues of our broken immigration system.  I asked them to address why reform or creation of a straightforward process is important to Alabama and to them personally.

You can do this too!  Visit Connecting Our World, click on the Action Alerts and viola!  Maybe you have a story to tell--maybe it's your own or someone else's.  Be a voice. Support the students, scholars, and community members who sit across from you everyday.  The more voices....the more movement in creating a commonsense process that works for us all!

Until next time....

The Middle of March...

Every year, in the middle of March, NAFSA: Association of International Educators hosts an event that is unlike the typical informational conference.  It redirects members' focus on matters bigger than the day-to-day.  It trains members to look outside themselves and work for a change.  A change for the people they serve.

NAFSA's Advocacy Day brings together members across the United States in Washington, D.C. to meet with Congressmen and women about making change for International Education.  I'm proud to say that I've been able to attend this event for the past 3 years now.  What a change it has made for my career!  The faces I see everyday are of the people I remember when speaking to my members of Congress.

This year, one of the main issues we presented was asking Members to Create a Commonsense Immigration process.  Process is an interesting word. It depicts movement......not a standstill.  It depicts a solution.......not  a broken system.  It depicts a road map.....not confusion.

Ways to create this process vary in each Members mind, but let me suggest a few:

GREEN CARD REFORMS

• Develop a viable package for green card relief including some or all of the following provisions:
• • Increase the overall number of green cards available annually, recognizing that a zero-sum approach neither reflects the nation’s needs nor our values. 
  • Recapture unused employment-based green cards from prior fiscal years to help eliminate the backlog.
  • Stop counting spouses and minor children against the employment-based green card cap. More than half of all employment-based green cards go to the spouses and children of workers.  
  • Exempt international student graduates with a direct path to green card status, outstanding researchers, and professors from the limit on the number of employment-based green card that may be issued annually.    
  • Eliminate annual per country limits with a possible phase-in period.
  • Increase green cards for specific priority levels 
• Provide relief through the DREAM Act to children raised in the United States who lack immigration status.
• Provide relief through the United American Families Act to allow American citizens and legal permanent residents to sponsor same-sex partners for legal permanent residency.
• Create a direct path to green card status for foreign students. Including protection from long adjudication timeframes by extending immigration status  from when a green card petition is filed until it is adjudicated (as is done for H-1B green card petitioners).
• Allow green card applicants to retain their places in line while waiting for green cards to become available. Vest this place in line, known as a priority date, with the immigrant petitioner not with the employer. This will make it easier for foreign workers to change employers because doing so will not make them move to the back of the green card line.
• Provide age-out protection for children. Immigrants petitioning for a green card may include their spouse and children in the petition. Unfortunately, if there are backlogs or long delayed decisions, children who turn 21 while waiting become ineligible for a green card based on their parent's petitions. This is called "aging out."  
• Protect higher education and related or affiliated non-profit organizations from increased filing fees. These institutions provide the STEM education necessary for American students to compete in the global workforce. It is counterproductive to increase the burden on institutions that are intended to provide the benefit created by the provision.

NONIMMIGRANT REFORMS

• Eliminate nonimmigrant intent for foreign students (F) by extending dual intent to include them.
• Expand employment options for foreign students (F-1) and exchange visitors (J-1) both during the school year and during breaks.
• Allow short term study on tourist (B) visas.
• Expand opportunities to study for the spouses and children (F-2) of foreign students.
• Provide work authorization for spouses of H-1Bs and foreign students.
• Restore to the Secretary of State the authority to waive personal appearances by visa applicants.
• Restore visa renewal in the United States for the following nonimmigrants: E, H, I, L, O, and P.
• Launch a Frequent Traveler Program for international students, researchers, scholars, and business people. 

PROTECT CURRENT LAW

• Maintain the H-1B cap exemption for higher education and research facilities.
• Maintain special handling that allows colleges and universities to petition for green cards for the most qualified applicants for positions that include classroom instruction.
• Maintain the exemption from the H-1B training fee for higher education and related or affiliated non-profit organizations. 

IMPROVING THE MANAGEMENT OF THE STUDENT AND EXCHANGE VISITOR PROGRAM

• Move the Student and Exchange Visitor Program within Department of Homeland Security from the enforcement division of Immigration and Customs Enforcement to the services division of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

It's Not Just Me...

Today, at 12:15pm in Athens, GA, Freedom University, Georgia Undocumented Youth Alliance, and National Immigration Youth Alliance lead a rally at the University of Georgia Arch to promote the lifting of the ban on undocumented students at many top Georgia colleges.  Several "Dreamers" shared their stories and struggles with a crowd of over 100.  Participants chanted, "Undocumented! Unafraid!" and "UP! UP! UP! with Education! DOWN! DOWN! DOWN! with Segregation!" Faith based and community leaders joined in, as well as students in caps and gowns from across the state of Georgia.

In Athens, we see these demonstrations and rallies a good bit, but I've never seen so many show up for one cause.  I've never seen so many different people from one community-with a very common goal-come together in our town so successfully.  It's one of the things I love about our little town.  I've mentioned before that Athens is an interesting place full of folks from EVERY way of life.  This was a true example of just that.

Before you think this is just a small town and a tiny group of folks making noise by the Starbucks, think again.  Project U was organized by undocumented students in the state of Georgia attending Freedom University.  Recently, it's made national headlines with an article in the Huffington Post.  Feel free to read it here: "March Calls Out Georgia's National Disgrace: Will Regents Finally End College Ban For Undocumented Students?"  A statement from the article reads:

"All my academic life from K-12," Aldo, a 17-year-old Georgia student, "I was told by the Georgia educational system that if I tried very hard in school, I would someday go to my local college. That gave me hope to overcome all the odds placed in front of me. That was the reason I got up every time I fell in all my academic attempts. But now that I am in my final year of high school I can see that I've been told nothing but lies and all the hard work I've done has been in vain." -Huffington Post, Jeff Biggers

See, it's not just me, but so many more looking for a better way for immigration to impact the U.S. in a positive manner.  To read more about Freedom University and it's roots in the Athens community, read this NPR article, "Undocumented Students Take Education Underground."

I would love to add more, but I think the articles and pictures of attendees speak volumes more than I ever could. Cheers to Freedom University and Project U.

#SJC- Had to Look That One Up....

Today, the Senate Judiciary Committee (#sjc- see what I did there....) begins a hearing entitled "Comprehensive Immigration Reform." A wide variety of speakers will share their perspectives on the subject. The witness list includes:

            The Honorable Janet Napolitano, Secretary- U.S. Department of Homeland Security

            Jose Antonio Vargas, Founder- Define American, http://www.defineamerican.com/

            Jesscia Vaughan, Director of Policy Studies- Center for Immigration Studies

            Steve Case, Chairman and CEO- Revolution

            Chris Cane, President- National Immigration and Customs Enforcement Council 118 of the
                                                American Federation of Government Employees

            Janet Murguia, President and CEO- National Council of La Raza

Let me introduce you to one of these witnesses- Jose Antonio Vargas.  You might have heard his name in the news or it may be a name you've never heard--but you should know his story.  If we take a look back, we all have a story. A story of where we came from. Me? My family is made up of dreamers who came to the U.S. many years ago from Germany and England. They were farmers.  My husband can trace his family back to the Mayflower (crazy to think about that really).  I'm pretty sure no one gave them papers at the Plymouth Rock Immigration Center......

Get to know Mr. Vargas (and many many others). At least from this video and from his own story here: www.defineamerican.com

Do you have a story? Share it here: http://www.barackobama.com/stories/share-your-story

On The Phone with the White House...

Last week, I had the opportunity to attend Georgia's Association of International Educators Winter Conference. With over 100 International Educators on-site, I knew this would be a great opportunity to share the most up-to-date information regarding Comprehensive Immigration Reform. Now, I could get up there and talk about what I know all day--but I thought if my colleagues could here it from the source, the impact would be much greater.

GAIE had the privilege of having Julie Rodriguez, Associate Director in the Office of Public Engagement from the WHITE HOUSE (!!!) call in, give us updates, and answer questions!  YES! You read that correctly. The WHITE HOUSE.  Think about what questions you would have if you were on the phone with the WHITE HOUSE. Some of you might have a fit (as we say in south).....either a good fit or a bad. Add a little structure to that phone call, and only good things can happen. And they did! Unexpected things!

Julie started the conversation by sharing with us highlights from President Obama's speech on Comprehensive Immigration Reform given in Nevada.  To see the speech, click here.  It's definitely worth 25 of your minutes.  She outlined the 4 key components of the President's plan.

1. Continuing to Strengthen Border Security
2. Cracking Down on Employers that Hire Undocumented Workers
3. Creating a Path to Earned Citizenship
4. Streamlining Our Legal Immigration System

She reminded us that for the first time in a long time, there was sense of Bi-Partisan support for the issue.  This support can only be continued when folks like us share the everyday impact of the broken immigration system.  The proposed new system would bring the U.S. into the 21st century and create ladders of opportunity for 11 million living here without status.

After several questions regarding English Language programs, DACA, Lawful Presence, and the Dream Act were answered, a gentleman in the audience came to the front and asked to share his story.  A GAIE member working in International Admissions shared his struggle to file for Permanent Residency.  He stated that he and his family had followed all the rules, contributes to the Georgia economy, and assists undocumented students find a way to further their education even if it isn't at his institution. He believes in the U.S., but continues to be frustrated by the red tape he faces daily.  Because of the inability to file for Permanent Residency, the gentleman and his family were leaving the U.S. yesterday and headed to Spain.  Hopefully one day, he will be able to return.  Julie responded with words so true, "You are just the kind of person we are trying to help with the proposed changes."

It's stories just like his that change people's minds and helps them see how personal the issue of Immigration Reform truly is.  I encouraged the room after the call was over to take our colleague's story and start with baby steps.  His story changed people's minds even in that room--among professionals in the field of International Education.  

If you are interested in hosting a White House call or Round Table in your hometown or office, start with contacting the WHITE HOUSE directly, www.whitehouse.gov.  

“We define ourselves as a nation of immigrants. That’s who we are — in our bones. The promise we see in those who come here from every corner of the globe, that’s always been one of our greatest strengths.”

-President Barack Obama

Right Around the Corner...

Over the next coming months, there will be much discussion about the possibility of Immigraton Reform.  To me, out of everything the 113th congress is facing, it might be the least controversial.  I'm sure you would agree, that's saying something.

Immigration Reform will not happen without compromise. Real compromise.  It seems that this is an impossible feat.  Here are some ways we can to work toward compromise:

• Understand that yes, legal immigration is at the upmost importance to our national security
• Amnesty is not the complete solution to problem
• Building a fence will not keep immigrants from finding a way to the U.S.
• Understand that immigrants bring a diversified skill-set needed in our country (STEM Fields)
• Pathways to legal immigration can be opened, but must follow fair and standardized policies
• An increase in number to legal immigration limits can bring in more revenue, taxes, and boost our economy

Need a a more specific explanation of what CIR could do?  Here are some thoughts from NAFSA:

Nonimmigrant Reforms

• Eliminate nonimmigrant intent for foreign students (F) by extending dual intent to include them.
• Expand employment options for foreign students (F-1) and exchange visitors (J-1) both during the school year and during breaks.
• Allow short term study on tourist (B) visa.
• Expand opportunities to study for the spouses and children (F-2) of foreign students.
• Provide work authorization for spouses of H-1Bs and foreign students.
• Restore to the Secretary of State the authority to waive personal appearances by visa applicants.
• Restore visa renewal in the United States for the following nonimmigrants: E, H, I, L, O, and P.
• Launch a Frequent Traveler Program for international students, researchers, scholars, and business people.

Green Card Reforms

• Develop a viable package for green card relief including some or all of the following provisions:
• Increase the number of green cards available annually.
• Recapture unused employment-based green cards from prior fiscal years to help eliminate the backlog.
• Stop counting spouses and minor children against the employment-based green card cap. More than half of all employment-based green cards go to the spouses and children of workers.  
• Exempt international student graduates with a direct path to green card status, outstanding researchers, and professors from the limit on the number of employment-based green card that may be issued annually.   
• Eliminate annual per country limits with a possible phase-in period.
• Increase green cards for specific priority levels.
• Provide relief through the DREAM Act to children raised in the United States who lack immigration status.
• Create a direct path to green card status for foreign students. Including protection from long adjudication timeframes by extending immigration status from when a green card petition is filed until it is adjudicated (as is done for H-1B green card petitioners).
• Allow green card applicants to retain their places in line while waiting for green cards to become available. Vest this place in line, known as a priority date, with the immigrant petitioner not with the employer. This will make it easier for foreign workers to change employers because doing so will not make them move to the back of the green card line.
• Provide age-out protection for children. Immigrants petitioning for a green card may include their spouse and children in the petition. Unfortunately, if there are backlogs or long delayed decisions, children who turn 21 while waiting become ineligible for a green card based on their parent’s petitions. This is called “aging out.”  

Protect Current Law

• Defend the H-1B cap exemption for higher education and research facilities.
• Maintain special handling that allows colleges and universities to petition for green cards for the most qualified applicants for positions that include classroom instruction.

Improving the Management of the Student and Exchange Visitor Program

• Move the Student and Exchange Visitor Program within Department of Homeland Security from the enforcement division of Immigration and Customs Enforcement to the services division of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

Another agreat resource can be found using the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) InfoNet.  Advocacy materials, memos, cables, and letters from the White House, Publications, Government News, and much more can help to understand the issue.  When reading, ask yourself: Is it Fair? Is it Fact-Based? Does it contribute to a Shared-Future?

Let the changes begin...

Happy IEW!

International Education is a fairly new concept in my home state.  Don’t get me wrong, for years and years, we’ve been sending American students abroad and hosting visiting international students--but the concept of shifting our priorities in the matter is a new one.  Like any new idea floating around, there are instant supporters and those who need a little more evidence before jumping on the bandwagon.  I’ve found in my own personal conversations about International Education that real-life stories start to soften a possible tough exterior.  As international educators, we meet students daily whose lives have changed because of their experiences.   We hear their stories of the people they meet, the new ideas they have, and the way their lives will never be same.  Sharing their stories is an easy step when meeting someone who’s not quite “there” yet.

My husband is a math guy.  He spends his days writing technical reports, crunching numbers, and problem-solving.  While telling him a story about one of my students interests him (most likely because it interests me), the best approach is showing him the numbers.  It’s the language he speaks-it’s the way he processes most things in life.  I could spend hours on the internet searching for statistics on my own.  Most of those statistics would give me different results.  I want the facts and he does too.  Did you know NAFSA supplies its members with these facts? 

How many times have you heard, “Yeah, but the international students are taking away money from our state….” or “Our university is not interested in spending state money on students who are not residents….?”  Trust me; I’ve heard this…..plenty.  I don’t think individuals say this half-heartedly or because they don’t care about students around the world.  True educators truly educate.  They’ve devoted their lives to it.  I think the issue is: they don’t know.

Before I became involved with NAFSA’s Connecting Our World program, I didn’t know either.  I knew I went to school with international students.  I knew some of these students had families with them.  I studied & spent money abroad.  I did not, however, realize how much of an impact international education had on the economy.  The Economic Impact Statement from NAFSA opened my eyes.

In my state, $370,994,000-yes that’s millions- was contributed to the economy from Tuition and Fees alone in 2011-2012.  One would think that the amount of international students it took to support such a number would be huge, but it’s not.  In that year, there were only 16,193 students who paid over $300 million to the state.  This is the kind of math my husband sees and then looks at me with his eyebrows raised.  It’s shocking at first glance. 

I encourage you to use the resources NAFSA provides-especially during International Education Week. The Economic Impact Statements show tangible results of international education in your state, but more specifically at your school. If our focus is to advocate for the field we love and the people we serve, we can use all the help we can get.  Have a great IEW-use it to change someone’s mind about International Education.