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Tag: US

  • Students stuck in US, AP unmoved

    The government seems to be least bothered about the fate of the 500 students from the state who were duped by the Tri-Valley University in Pleasanton, a suburb in the San Francisco Bay Area in the US.
    The situation, in fact, might be more serious than earlier thought as a number of students have been detained and are being interrogated by US Federal authorities as part of their investigation against the University.

    Meanwhile back home, worried parents expressed their anger at the state government for not coming to their aid despite the news breaking out on January 25. “We have made several attempts to meet the minister heading Overseas Affairs in the state but in vain. Shockingly, none of the officials in the Secretariat are in a position to say who the minister for Overseas Affairs is.

    Till recently, it was headed by Mr Sridhar Babu. However, with the change in portfolios, we were informed that Mr Sridhar Babu is no longer incharge.

    His staff informed that the portfolio had not been allotted to anyone and the Chief Minister, Mr N. Kiran Kumar Reddy, himself was monitoring it. But the Chief Minister is not in the city due to the ongoing Rachchabanda programme. We are confused about whom to approach,” said Mr Bhargava Ramakrishna, father of Mr Bhargava Sandeep, who took admission in Tri-Valley University in June last year. Some worried parents of students, who were duped by the Tri-Valley University in Pleasanton, a suburb in the San Francisco Bay Area in the US, even called up the office of the Union ministry of external affairs for help. “We were informed that the ministry has sought a report from its missions in the US. They told us that none of the affected students had approached the Indian Consulate in the US for help so far. They said they will take up the issue with the US government after it got the report from the Indian Consulate,” said Mr Jafar Ahmed, brother of Mr Azam Ahmed, another student at Tri-Valley University. Some parents are more worried as they have lost contact with their children.
    “I am trying to talk to my son since yesterday but his mobile phone is switchedoff. I am worried that he may be detained by the US police and that’s why he is not in a position to keep his mobile on,” said Mr K.
    Jagadish Chandra, father of Mr Sandeep Chandra.

    Parents said that the university had duped them after collecting `6 lakh as fees by deputing several brokers in the city to make admissions with false claims.

    Source : DC

  • IMMIGRATION FRAUD AP students face US deportation.

    About 500 students from Andhra Pradesh, mostly from Hyderabad, face the risk of deportation from the US after authorities raided and shut down Tri-Valley University in Pleasanton, a suburb in the San Francisco Bay Area, on January 19.

    Around 300 engineering students from Hyderabad were admitted to TriValley for the MS programme in engineering last year.

    They had just begun their third semester on January 10 this year, when the news broke that the university was not recognised by the regulatory authorities in the US and was operating illegally. Hundreds of students have been left in the lurch and their parents back home are worried. Many have taken loans or borrowed the `6-8 lakh required to finance their children’s study.

    Mr Jafar Ahmed, a resident of Dilsukhnagar, whose younger brother Azam was studying at TriValley, says the family got a bank loan of `4 lakh and borrowed another two lakh privately. He points out that the university has several brokers in the city canvassing for admissions. “If the university was fake then why did the US consulate in Hyderabad issue visas?” he questioned.

    His brother is very hard up, he says. “He informed us that the police have detained students -and were not allowing them to move outside.” Many students are Jan. 25: Many students are planning to leave as soon as possible to avoid being interrogated. There are reports that the deportation process has started against some students.

    If a university is shut down, students on F-1 visas lose their status within a stipulated time. These students have been making desperate calls to PIO immigration attorneys.

    A posting on the website of the Murthy law firm said, “Some of the F-1 TriValley students may have options to try to change status in the US. Some are potentially eligible to request a change to H-4 or other dependant statuses.

    Others might be eligible for H1B status through employers, but may not have enough time to file for the soon-to-be reached FY 2011 H1B cap. Those who have previously held H1B status and do not need cap numbers would not face this problem,” it advised.

    An international student is allowed to work ‘on campus’, legally, for 20 hours on the basis of his i-20. If a student acquires a job outside the campus he should secure a CPT (Curricular Practical Training) from the university which will allow him to work legally for 20 hours on the same student visa (F1) status.

    However, Tri-Valley University was issuing student visas directly by giving a CPT and not an i-20. That means the student can work off campus but only a the position which is on the CPT. If the CPT says you work as a ‘Program Analyst’, you have to. But some students were working in gas stations/ shopping malls etc for more than 40 hours a week, which is illegal and against their immigration status.

    Source : DC

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