|
Job Discussion Forums
"The Internet's Meeting Place for ESL/EFL Students and Teachers from Around the World!"
|
| View previous topic :: View next topic |
| Author |
Message |
gregoryfromcali
Joined: 25 Feb 2005
Posts: 1207
Location: People's Republic of Shanghai
|
 Posted: Thu Mar 15, 2007 1:13 am Post subject: The US opens its doors |
 |
|
Citizens from Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and South Korea will no longer need visas to enter the US.
I'm curious to see how this could effect the ESL industry.
| Quote: |
SEN. VOINOVICH�S VISA WAIVER LEGISLATION PASSES SENATE
WASHINGTON, D.C. � Today, the full Senate voted for passage of S. 4, the Improving America's Security by Implementing Unfinished Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act of 2007. The bill includes an amendment authored by U.S. Senator George V. Voinovich (R-OH) that extends visa-free travel privileges to our allies in the Global War on Terror. The amendment, called the Secure Travel and Counterterrorism Partnership Act of 2007, will improve cooperation with key allies while strengthening U.S. national security interests and promoting U.S. economic competitiveness. The bill was passed by a vote of 60 to 38.
�This is wonderful news for the Unites States and its allies and a strong signal to the enemies of democracy,� Sen. Voinovich said. �I strongly believe we must maintain strong relations with our friends who are helping us fight the Global War on Terror. This legislation will improve both our national and economic security while helping to solidify relationships and improve good will toward the United States for years to come.�
Sen. Voinovich�s amendment authorizes the Department of Homeland Security, in consultation with the Department of State, to expand the Visa Waiver Program (VWP) to countries that support the United States and are prepared to do everything in their power to help keep terrorists from crossing our borders. Countries would be eligible to participate in the program only after the executive branch certifies that they do not pose a security or law enforcement threat to the United States.
The legislation would make the travel security standards and passport policies safer than they would otherwise be for participating countries. Security requirements for participation include biometric passports, strict passenger screening through an e-travel authorization system, passenger information exchanges, strict reporting of lost or stolen passports, airport and baggage security and agreements for home country repatriation of any visitors who violate U.S. laws. The provision will also require the Department of Homeland Security to monitor when VWP participants exit the country and improve procedures for measuring any potential overstays, to ensure compliance with the program.
�Our current visa policy is discouraging hundreds of thousands of peaceful and well-meaning people from visiting the United States for business and pleasure,� Sen. Voinovich said. �By severely limiting legitimate travel to the United States, we are dampening international good will and losing economic opportunities totaling millions of dollars.
�In addition to promoting U.S. national security interests, this legislation will increase business ties and tourism, benefiting our economy and competitiveness for years to come. This is a smart move that will advance America�s strategic interests.�
The VWP was established in 1986 to improve relations with U.S. allies and benefit the U.S. economy. The program permits nationals from selected countries to enter the United States for tourism or business without a visa for up to 90 days. Currently, 27 countries participate in the program.
Although numerous countries have expressed a desire to participate in the VWP, and a willingness to cooperate with the necessary security requirements, no new countries have been admitted since 1999. President Bush recently called on Congress to expand the VWP to deserving nations and has previously identified 13 �Road Map� countries as potential candidates for future participation. These include Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and South Korea.
-- END --
Ms. Garrette M.K. Silverma Press Secretary Senator George V. Voinovich Phone: (202)224-7784 Fax: (202) 228-0501 [email protected] |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
Mr. Kalgukshi
Mod Team
Joined: 18 Jan 2003
Posts: 6613
Location: Need to know basis only.
|
| Posted: Thu Mar 15, 2007 1:56 am Post subject: Focus |
|
|
The focus of this thread must be ESL/EFL.
If not, the thread will be locked or deleted in line with forum policy. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
gregoryfromcali
Joined: 25 Feb 2005
Posts: 1207
Location: People's Republic of Shanghai
|
| Posted: Thu Mar 15, 2007 3:34 am Post subject: |
|
|
| Quote: |
| The focus of this thread must be ESL/EFL. |
That's the reason I posted it.
I am curious if it's going to raise the demands for American English in former communist Europe.
Having worked there, I have found that the focus is on British English.
Not that it bothers me either way, but being that North Americans are not EU citizens it could be interesting to see if more schools will be willing to hire more North American teachers.
In which case a lot of teachers on the board will have more opportunities to teach there.
Good times. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
rusmeister
Joined: 15 Jun 2006
Posts: 867
Location: Russia
|
| Posted: Thu Mar 15, 2007 4:39 am Post subject: |
|
|
Actually, that article is about freeing travel to the US which won't really affect teachers in EE. Some of those countries, like the Czech Rep, have long had visa free travel for US citizens for short-term (1-3 months) for tourist purposes. The only possible response that would affect us would be a tit-for-tat opening up of work visas.
In any event, more native teachers in an area does not mean good times for the others - more likely the other way around, as opportunities for the McSchools abound, wages and relative value drop, and teachers are more easily replaced (that does allow for elimination of whacko teachers as students and schools have a broader choice).
As to British vs American English, that depends a lot more on the publishers and their lobbiers than on free travel for citizens. I found, when I was working in the US, that Oxford Univ Press refused to sell me their British publications because of 'marketing restrictions'. Where these 'restrictions' came from I don't know, but given that it benefits US publishers it's not too hard to guess who would have pushed for them. As a result of that 'paper curtain' American texts and materials suck, getting no benefit from the rest of the world's experience in teaching English, while buying American publications abroad is much harder. But given their poor quality, I prefer to deal with linguistic schizophrenia rather than the primitive methodics and poor arrangement of the American materials anyway. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Ajarn Miguk
Joined: 23 Jan 2003
Posts: 227
Location: TDY As Assigned
|
| Posted: Thu Mar 15, 2007 4:42 am Post subject: Appears |
|
|
| This appears only to have passed the Senate. There is no mention of a House of Representatives version. It does not appear to be law at this point. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Sherri
Joined: 23 Jan 2003
Posts: 749
Location: The Big Island, Hawaii
|
| Posted: Thu Mar 15, 2007 4:48 am Post subject: |
|
|
This is about travel to the US for tourism. If someone from one of these countries wants to study ESL in the US, he or she would still have to apply for an F1 visa.
What I am waiting for is a relax on F1 visa restrictions for students applying from China, Vietnam, Russia and Ukraine. The US embassies almost always refuse students from these countries F1 visas for language study. Now the US ESL market loses these students, who tend to apply for and get student visas for ESL schools in Canada, Australia, NZ and the UK.
Sherri |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
gregoryfromcali
Joined: 25 Feb 2005
Posts: 1207
Location: People's Republic of Shanghai
|
| Posted: Thu Mar 15, 2007 6:36 am Post subject: |
|
|
| Quote: |
| I prefer to deal with linguistic schizophrenia rather than the primitive methodics and poor arrangement of the American materials anyway. |
Yes, I too use British materials.
But my post was in reference to the hiring of teachers.
For example in Poland, some students only want to learn British English partly because US visa restrictions used to be so strict that they couldn't imagine ever going to the US, where as the UK wasn't a problem. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
jonniboy
Joined: 18 Jun 2006
Posts: 751
Location: Panama City, Panama
|
| Posted: Thu Mar 15, 2007 12:17 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| As others have alluded to, until citizens of those countries can actually go to the USA to work, the preference will be for British English. Here many are studying English because they want to move to the UK and Ireland to work. From the travel perspective it won't change a great deal as flights and holidays to the USA are simply out of the price range of most locals here. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
ls650
Joined: 10 May 2003
Posts: 3484
Location: British Columbia
|
| Posted: Thu Mar 15, 2007 2:24 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Sherri wrote: |
| This is about travel to the US for tourism. |
Exactly. I can't see this helping Americans find teaching work in Europe: if someone from Europe studies English for the purpose of tourism, they're going to learn it just as well from a Brit as from an American. If a Latvian visits NY or LA, are the local Americans going to have problems understanding him because he spells 'colour' with a 'U' or says 'flat' instead of 'apartment'? |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Justin Trullinger
Joined: 28 Jan 2005
Posts: 3110
Location: Seoul, South Korea and Myanmar for a bit
|
| Posted: Thu Mar 15, 2007 3:11 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Quote: |
| says 'flat' instead of 'apartment'? |
You never know!  I'm a yank, but after a long period in the British isles, and an even longer period with a British partner, I tend to say "flat," amongst other things...mostly, when I'm back in Iowa, people just stare at me in uncomprehending silence. 
But this really seems about travel for tourism purposes- I wonder if it might have a ripple effect in terms of a gradual opening of US visa restricitons, which might open the US to a larger number of foreign native English teachers. But I sort of doubt it...
Best,
Justin |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
mlomker
Joined: 24 Mar 2005
Posts: 378
|
| Posted: Thu Mar 15, 2007 4:18 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Justin Trullinger wrote: |
| But this really seems about travel for tourism purposes- |
True, but it is still useful. Landing visas (tourist visas are different) are almost always reciprocal in nature--if the US grants more lenient landing visas then the other country is likely to extend the same.
This could allow the teacher to simply show up in a country or bop over the border and look for work. A quick visa run would allow you to get a work visa somewhere. This also saves money--landing visas are generally cheaper, if not free. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
gregoryfromcali
Joined: 25 Feb 2005
Posts: 1207
Location: People's Republic of Shanghai
|
| Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2007 3:01 am Post subject: |
|
|
| Quote: |
| True, but it is still useful. Landing visas (tourist visas are different) are almost always reciprocal in nature--if the US grants more lenient landing visas then the other country is likely to extend the same. |
Not to mention that it's much easier to get a green card for someone who has already entered the US legally than it for someone outside the US.
A lot of immigrants originally came to the US on tourists visas and took the necessary steps to get a green card.
So this could tip the scales. I know when I was in Poland the US just seemed like a far off place where a distant relative lived, but was now a place they couldn't get to.
Besides I've found most students don't care where the teacher is from, they just want a teacher who can teach. But of course there's always that one student.  |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Sherri
Joined: 23 Jan 2003
Posts: 749
Location: The Big Island, Hawaii
|
| Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2007 3:49 am Post subject: |
|
|
[quote="gregoryfromcali"]
| Quote: |
A lot of immigrants originally came to the US on tourists visas and took the necessary steps to get a green card.
|
Really? How did they do that? It is impossible to change from a tourist visa to a permanent resident. I have just worked on HB1 (work) visa for a non-American employee who had to jump through endless hoops and part with a great deal of money and this was from an F1 student visa. She was told that she cannot go from HB1 to PR status. She comes from a country with a 90-day visa waiver.
Also it is far easier and takes less time for spouses of Americans to apply for their PR from their country of residence than in the US. I know this from personal experience.
This opening of visa restrictions comes purely in an effort to make travel for tourism easier and to bring in more $$ to the US economy.
Sherri |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
gregoryfromcali
Joined: 25 Feb 2005
Posts: 1207
Location: People's Republic of Shanghai
|
| Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2007 9:54 am Post subject: |
|
|
I didn't realize this was going to turn into a legal discussion, if you want to be debate immigration laws then PM me. But for the sake of the discussion I'll reply this one time.
| Quote: |
| Really? How did they do that? It is impossible to change from a tourist visa to a permanent resident. |
A marriage license.
My wife and I are in the process of getting her a greeen card as speak.
We planned our wedding. She came in on a tourist visa, they gave her a 6 month stamp.
A month later we got married, now she's applying for a green card.
Actually we wanted to return to Asia together but we were told by immigration officers that it would be easier for her to get a green card if she stayed here.
As her friends have gone through this as well, we decided that this was the best idea.
| Quote: |
| Also it is far easier and takes less time for spouses of Americans to apply for their PR from their country of residence than in the US. I know this from personal experience. |
That's if you want to wait a year to be able to get into the States and you're close to an American embassy.
For us this would have been much more difficult, it would have meant, flying from Shanghai to Guangzhou and working in ESL for another year (which I don't really want to do anymore).
On top of that immigration told me that it's actually easier to get a fiance into the US than a spouse.
Anyway, this isn't a legal forum. My point still is that the door is opening, which could be good for North American teachers.
Good times. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Sherri
Joined: 23 Jan 2003
Posts: 749
Location: The Big Island, Hawaii
|
| Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2007 4:14 pm Post subject: |
|
|
gregoryfromcali
It is hardly a legal discussion! I just think it is very misleading to post how easy it is for people to go from a tourist visa to PR. Because it is not and most tourists travelling to the US do not have the option of getting married to a US national!
Congratulations on your marriage. I am glad you found the best way for your particular situation but it certain not representative.
I sincerely do hope the doors to the US are opening and we keep hearing rumbles about it. It won't make much tangible difference to me and other ESL teachers in the US unless they open up F1 regulations.
In the 20+ years that I taught abroad, I found like other posters that British based ETL material is usually the best and I feel comfortable teaching US or UK English.
Best
Sherri |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
|
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum
|
This page is maintained by the one and only Dave Sperling.
Contact Dave's ESL Cafe
Copyright © 2018 Dave Sperling. All Rights Reserved.
Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2002 phpBB Group
|
FAQ
Search
Memberlist
Usergroups
Register
Profile
Log in to check your private messages
Log in
