There is something to be said when international students hoping to attend a university in the U.S. find it difficult to get their visa in a timely manner or worry about if they will even get one at all. A possible staff shortage, a plethora of forms to be filled out and a cap of 65,000 on the number of visas being issued per year, that have been known to run out quickly, are some of the reasons why international students are having difficulty acquiring their ticket to the U.S.

Because the process of obtaining a visa to get into the U.S. is taking longer, the university is now finding competitors outside of the country while international students turn to universities in countries that are easier to obtain a visa from, such as Canada, the U.K. and Australia.

The fact that obtaining a visa can take so long that it prohibits international students from coming into the U.S. is absurd. One U.S. State Department visa specialist said staff shortages are delaying the department’s ability to process applications. A State Department spokeswoman, however, said she could neither confirm nor deny that staff shortages were a problem. Whatever the reason, the department should take every step to make sure deserving international students are allowed a chance to bring their talents to the United States.

It cannot be stressed enough how important international students are to the overall makeup of the university. Students from other countries are able to enrich a classroom’s learning experience with their knowledge of a world and culture outside our own. And it’s a great loss for the university to lose the prospect of international students because of issues outside of their own control.

News editor Rose Baca for the editorial board.