US embassy cable - 03ABUDHABI4408

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ABU DHABI 004408 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR NEA/PPD; NEA/ARP; NEA/FO; ECA; IIP/G/NESA; 
CA/EX 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS:  KPAO, SCUL, CVIS, TC 
SUBJECT:  UAE STUDENT VISA APPLICATIONS LOW BUT HOPE ABOUNDS 
 
1.  SUMMARY:  UAE NATIONALS CONTINUE TO APPLY FOR STUDENT 
VISAS IN LOW NUMBERS, ATTRIBUTED MOSTLY TO VISA 
REQUIREMENTS, SYSTEMIC COMPLICATIONS WITH THE TIMING OF 
FINAL HIGH SCHOOL GRADES, AND PARENTS' MISPERCEPTIONS ABOUT 
US DISCRIMINATION AGAINST MUSLIMS AND ARABS.  DESPITE THIS, 
POSITIVE SIGNS ARE FOUND.  MOST INTERESTING IS THAT UAE 
NATIONAL WOMEN ARE APPLYING FOR STUDENT VISAS AND SEEKING 
PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICE (PAO) EXCHANGE PROGRAMS IN RECORD 
NUMBERS.  WHILE OVERALL STUDENT VISA APPLICATIONS ARE LOW, 
EVIDENCE SUGGESTS THAT PAO AND CONSULAR EFFORTS TO SPREAD 
THE WORD ON STUDENT VISA AND NSEERS PROCEDURES AND BATTLE 
NEGATIVE STEREOTYPES ABOUT THE US ARE BEARING FRUIT.  END 
SUMMARY. 
 
2.  FOLLOWING SEPTEMBER 11TH, UAE NATIONALS STUDYING IN THE 
US ON F, J, AND M VISAS DROPPED 20 PERCENT FROM A HIGH OF 
2,700 TO APPROXIMATELY 2,100 FOR THE 2001/02 ACADEMIC YEAR. 
STUDENT VISA APPLICANT NUMBERS FOR UAE NATIONALS FOR 2003 
ARE AGAIN LOW.  DUBAI'S OVERALL STUDENT VISA APPLICATIONS 
CRESTED PRE-SEPTEMBER 11TH LEVELS BUT IS DUE TO INCRESED 
THIRD-COUNTRY NATIONAL (TCN) APPLICATIONS.  FROM JANUARY 1 
TO SEPTEMBER 15, 2003, THE CONSULATES IN ABU DHABI AND DUBAI 
EACH RECEIVED 102 UAE NATIONAL STUDENT VISA APPLICATIONS, 
FOR A TOTAL OF 204.  PRIOR TO SEPTEMBER 11TH, ABU DHABI 
RECEIVED APPROXIMATELY 700 TO 800 TOTAL STUDENT VISA 
APPLICATIONS IN THE SAME PERIOD, MOST OF WHICH WERE UAE 
NATIONALS.  OF THE CURRENT UAE NATIONAL NUMBERS, 146 WERE 
ISSUED VISAS (72 PERCENT), 12 WERE REFUSED (5 PERCENT), AND 
46 STILL AWAIT CLEARANCE FROM WASHINGTON (23 PERCENT). 
 
3.  TO STEM FURTHER LOSSES, PAO ABU DHABI AND THE DUBAI AND 
ABU DHABI CONSULAR SECTIONS CONDUCTED A BROAD OUTREACH 
CAMPAIGN.  THIS EFFORT INCLUDED OUTREACH TO UAE EDUCATION 
AND HIGHER EDUCATION OFFICIALS, MAJOR SCHOLARSHIP OFFICERS, 
EDUCATORS, ADMINISTRATORS, AND STUDENTS AT UAE UNIVERSITIES, 
COLLEGES, AND HIGH SCHOOLS, AND LOCAL ARABIC AND ENGLISH 
PRINT AND ELECTRONIC MEDIA.  DISCUSSIONS INCLUDED 
PRESENTATIONS ON STUDENT VISA APPLICATION PROCEDURES, THE 
NATIONAL SECURITY ENTRY/EXIT REGISTRATION SYSTEM (NSEERS), 
THE STUDENT AND EXCHANGE VISITORS INFORMATION SYSTEM 
(SEVIS), AND LIFE IN THE US.  PAO AND CONSULAR SECTIONS 
PLACED PRESS RELEASES AND INTERVIEWS ON THESE TOPICS AND OP- 
EDS BY CONSULAR AFFAIRS (CA) ASSISTANT SECRETARY MAURA 
HARTY. 
 
4.  WITH THE UAE GOVERNMENT, OUTREACH EFFORTS HAVE BEEN VERY 
SUCCESSFUL.  SHEIKH NAHYAN BIN ZAYED AL NAHYAN, UAE MINISTER 
OF HIGHER EDUCATION AND SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH, DECREED THAT 
ALL STUDENTS APPLYING FOR UAE MINISTRY OF HIGHER EDUCATION 
(MOHE) SCHOLARSHIPS TO THE US BE GIVEN INSTANT APPROVALS AND 
REGULARLY OBSERVES THAT HIS SONS STUDY SAFELY IN THE US. 
LIKEWISE, ADMINISTRATORS AT THE UAE UNIVERSITY, THE LARGEST 
PUBLIC INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION FOR 17,000 UAE 
NATIONAL MEN AND WOMEN, ADOPTED A UNIVERSITY-WIDE POLICY TO 
SEND TEACHING ASSISTANTS ONLY TO THE US FOR ENGLISH-LANGUAGE 
AND ADVANCED STUDY. 
 
5.  PAO STAFF ALSO CONTACTED EACH OF THE MAJOR UAE 
SCHOLARSHIP OFFICES FOR THEIR VIEWS ON STUDENT INTEREST IN 
STUDYING IN THE US.  DESPITE THEIR DESIRE TO CONTINUE 
SENDING STUDENTS TO THE US, RESULTS WERE MIXED ON STUDENT 
INTEREST IN AMERICAN INSTITUTIONS.  THE UAE MOHE ONLY 
AWARDED 80 SCHOLARSHIPS, WHERE PREVIOUSLY, THE NUMBER WAS 
NEARLY 200.  LIKEWISE, THE ABU DHABI INVESTMENT AUTHORITY, 
WHICH FUNDS APPROXIMATELY 1200 UAE STUDENTS FOR STUDY IN THE 
US, SAW THIS NUMBER DROP TO 400.  THE ABU DHABI NATIONAL OIL 
COMPANY SENT 3 STUDENTS LAST YEAR AND WILL FUND 3 OR 4 NEXT 
YEAR.  ON A POSITIVE NOTE, THE "EDAAD" SCHALORSHIP OFFICE OF 
SHEIKH MOHAMED BIN RASHED AL MAKTOUM, DUBAI CROWN PRINCE AND 
UAE MINISTER OF DEFENSE, WILL SEND 36 OF ITS 41 SCHOLARSHIP 
STUDENTS TO THE US, PRIMARILY DUE TO THE WORK OF DUBAI 
CONSULAR AND PA STAFF.  ON A FURTHER BRIGHT NOTE, WITH PA 
ABU DHABI ASSISTANCE AND AMBASSADORIAL INTERVENTION, THE UAE 
PRESIDENT SHEIKH ZAYED'S SCHOLARSHIP COORDINATION OFFICE 
MAINTAINED ITS AVERAGE OF 15 TO 25 STUDENTS ANNUALLY, 
SENDING 17 LAST YEAR AND 21 FOR 2003. 
 
6.  COMMENT:  POST ATTRIBUTES THE LOW NUMBERS OF UAE 
NATIONAL APPLICATIONS TO SYSTEMIC AND FAMILY FACTORS.C AND 
FAMILY COMPLICATIONS. SCHOLARSHIP SCHOLARSHIP OFFICES DO NOT 
AWARD SCHOLARSHIPS UNTIL THE UAE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION 
PUBLISHES STUDENTS' FINAL GRADES IN MID-JUNE, LEAVING 
STUDENTS 2 TO 4 WEEKS TO RECEIVE UNIVERSITY ACCEPTANCE, 
SEVIS, AND VISA CLEARANCES.  VISA ISSUANCE IS NOT GUARANTEED 
ANYMORE FOR UAE NATIONAL STUDENTS, WHO CAN FACE WAITS OF 
SEVERAL MONTHS AND POSTPONING ATTENDANCE UNTIL SPRING.  WITH 
THIS CHOICE, MORE STUDENTS ARE CHOOSING THE UNITED KINGDOM, 
AUSTRALIA, AND CANADA, WHO HAVE STEPPED UP WITH AD CAMPAIGNS 
TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE PERCEIVED US RETREAT FROM THE 
EDUCATIONAL MARKET.  FINALLY, DESPITE MISSION-WIDE EFFORTS, 
MISPERCEPTIONS GENERATED IN THE ARAB MEDIA AND FOSTERED 
AMONG PARENTS STILL ABOUND THAT THE US IS A DANGEROUS PLACE 
FOR ARABS AND MUSLIMS, COMPLICATING NOT ONLY STUDENT 
RECRUITMENT BUT EXCHANGE PROGRAM EFFORTS AS WELL. 
 
7.  DESPITE THE LOW NUMBERS, THERE IS MUCH CAUSE FOR HOPE. 
MOST IMPORTANTLY, UAE NATIONAL WOMEN ARE APPLYING IN 
INCREASED NUMBERS, ACCOUNTING FOR 30 TO 35 PERCENT OF 
APPLICATIONS VERSUS APPROXIMATELY 5 PERCENT BEFORE SEPTEMBER 
11TH.  POST ATTRIBUTES THIS RISE TO MISSION EFFORTS TO REACH 
OUT TO UAE WOMEN'S EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS AND THAT 
ADDITIONAL VISA CLEARANCE AND NSEERS PROCEDURES DO NOT APPLY 
TO UAE NATIONAL WOMEN.  FINALLY, UAE NATIONALS CHOOSING 
ENGLISH-SPEAKING COUNTRIES AS ALTERNATE DESTINATIONS BEARS 
THE POSSIBILITY TO RETURN THESE STUDENTS TO AMERICAN 
INSTITUTIONS IN THE FUTURE.  END COMMENT. 
 
WWAHBA