International graduate students, the F-1 visa process, and the dark side of globalization in post 9/11 American society

Visa restrictions and changes in the U.S. immigration process after September 11, 2001 (9/11) terrorist attacks have affected negatively the number of students coming to study in the United States. However, there is very little research about the challenges they face in obtaining visas to study in the U.S.;The goal of this research was to explore the challenges that international students face in obtaining the F-1 visa1, their experiences as international students, and the campus culture that influences and is influenced by international students. A total of 30 graduate students (age 20-39, 12 female and 18 males, from 19 countries) were interviewed.;Qualitative methods, guided by models of cultural adaptation, symbolic interaction theory, Habermas's views on the public sphere and society, and multiple perspectives on globalization were used to formulate and interpret the research questions. This dissertation is action research in that results have practical application for improving the lives of international students, and helping educators, administrators, counselors, and community volunteers to better tailor their services and programs offered to this group of students. The importance of this dissertation consists in the sociological investigation into post 9/11 surveillance and government control. This research links microanalysis to the broader political context of post 9/11 and globalization. The limitations are those of sampling, in that the results of this research are based on a small sample and may not reflect the individual experiences of over six-hundred thousand international students studying in the U.S. Also, a sampling of those who did not obtain an academic visa could not be investigated, thus negative experiences with the visa process were probably underrepresented. Many findings have emerged, but the hypothesis that international students from the Middle East and certain countries in Asia are more likely to be heavily scrutinized and have greater challenges in obtaining the F-1 visas has proven to be true. Out of the variables investigated, gender played a negligible role in obtaining a visa, while nationality and field of study played a somewhat more significant role.;1The research focused only on students' experiences with the F-1 visa and not other types of visas such as the J-1 visa, which is given to individuals involved in exchange programs sponsored by schools, businesses, and other variety of organizations and institutions.