FOREIGN PRESENCE IN U.S. SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY -- FOREIGN PRESENCE IN U.S. SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY -- CONTENTS -- PREFACE -- FOREIGN STUDENTS IN THE UNITED STATES: POLICIES AND LEGISLATION -- SUMMARY -- BACKGROUND -- FOREIGN STUDENT VISAS -- F Visa -- J Visa -- M Visa -- Duration of Status Visa -- PROCESSING, SCREENING, AND REPORTING -- Agency Involvement -- Screening Procedures -- Security Concerns -- Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) -- TRENDS AND CHARACTERISTICS -- FOREIGN STUDENTS ON NON-STUDENT VISAS -- CURRENT ISSUES -- Foreign Students and Funding -- Foreign Students and Language Competence -- New Pathways to Permanent Residence -- SEVIS Fee Increase -- LEGISLATION IN THE 110TH CONGRESS -- END NOTES -- FOREIGN SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING PRESENCE IN U.S. INSTITUTIONS AND THE LABOR FORCE -- SUMMARY -- FOREIGN STUDENTS IN U.S. INSTITUTIONS -- PARTICIPATION RATES IN SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING -- SUPPORT OF FOREIGN STUDENTS IN GRADUATE SCHOOL -- PERCEIVED BENEFITS AND PROBLEMS -- FOREIGN SCIENTISTS AND ENGINEERS IN THE U.S. LABOR FORCE -- POLICY IMPLICATIONS -- END NOTES -- MONITORING FOREIGN STUDENTS IN THE UNITED STATES: THE STUDENT AND EXCHANGE VISITOR INFORMATION SYSTEM (SEVIS) -- SUMMARY -- BACKGROUND -- LEGISLATIVE HISTORY OF THE STUDENT MONITORING SYSTEM -- Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act -- The USA Patriot Act -- Enhanced Border Security and Visa Reform Act -- STUDENT AND EXCHANGE VISITOR INFORMATION SYSTEM (SEVIS) -- Fee Collection -- Admissions and Tracking Process -- Issues -- Management of SEVIS -- Technical Support -- Reporting Burdens -- Followup on Overstays -- Fee Collection -- Delays in Visa Issuances -- END NOTES -- UNITED STATES' AND OTHER COUNTRIES' STRATEGIES FOR ATTRACTING AND FUNDING INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS -- WHY GAO DID THIS STUDY -- WHAT GAO RECOMMENDS -- WHAT GAO FOUND.

BACKGROUND -- STATE FUNDS A SMALL NUMBER OF UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAMS FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS -- STATE PROGRAMS DRAW STUDENTS FROM A SMALL NUMBER OF COUNTRIES -- OTHER COUNTRIES USE VARIOUS STRATEGIES TO RECRUIT AND RETAIN INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS -- GAO CONTACTS -- GAO'S MISSION -- OBTAINING COPIES OF GAO REPORTS AND TESTIMONY -- Order by Mail or Phone -- TO REPORT FRAUD, WASTE, AND ABUSE IN FEDERAL PROGRAMS -- CONGRESSIONAL RELATIONS -- PUBLIC AFFAIRS -- END NOTES -- CHALLENGES IN ATTRACTING INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS TO THE UNITED STATES AND IMPLICATIONS FOR GLOBAL COMPETITIVENESS -- WHY GAO DID THIS STUDY -- WHAT GAO RECOMMENDS -- WHAT GAO FOUND -- BACKGROUND -- The Global Higher Education Landscape Is Providing More Options for Students -- Rising Cost of U.S. Higher Education May Discourage Some International Students from Coming -- Changes in U.S. Visa Policies Contributed to Real and Perceived Barriers for International Students to Enter the Country, but Recent Improvements Have Helped Ease Some of the Burden -- Concluding Observations -- GAO CONTACTS -- GAO'S MISSION -- OBTAINING COPIES OF GAO REPORTS AND TESTIMONY -- Order by Mail or Phone -- TO REPORT FRAUD, WASTE, AND ABUSE IN FEDERAL PROGRAMS -- CONGRESSIONAL RELATIONS -- PUBLIC AFFAIRS -- END NOTES -- INDEX.