Activists say visa denial rates for African students seeking higher education in the United States are too high.
活动人士表示，在美国寻求高等教育的非洲学生的签证拒绝率太高。
Fanta Aw is executive director of NAFSA: Association of International Educators. NAFSA is a nonprofit organization that supports international student exchange.
Fanta Aw是国际教育工作者协会的执行董事。NAFSA是一个支持国际学生交换的非营利性组织。
Aw said data released in 2023 by the Presidents' Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration shows visa rejections. She said the rejection rates for African students are higher than rates for students from the Middle East, South America and South Asia.
欧说，高等教育和移民总统联盟在2023年发布的数据显示了拒签。她说，非洲学生的拒绝率高于中东、南美和南亚学生的拒绝率。
At the same time, however, the IEEE Open Doors Report says the number of students from sub-Saharan Africa studying in the U.S. is growing. The most recent Open Doors Report, which follows foreign students in the U.S., shows that the number of students from African countries south of the Sahara Desert increased by 18 percent.
然而，与此同时，IEEE门户开放报告称，在美国学习的撒哈拉以南非洲学生人数正在增长。最新的《门户开放报告》追踪了在美留学生的情况，报告显示，来自撒哈拉沙漠以南非洲国家的留学生人数增加了18%。
Aw said the rejection numbers mean many more African students could be studying in the U.S. Fewer American students are going to college and not as many Chinese students are studying in the U.S. African students could help replace those groups, she said.
奥说，拒绝的数字意味着更多的非洲学生可能会在美国学习。她说，越来越少的美国学生上大学，而在美国学习的中国学生也没有那么多。非洲学生可以帮助取代这些群体。
Last year, big percentages of students from several large African countries were denied study visas. In 2023, examples include Ethiopia at 78 percent, Nigeria at 75 percent and Kenya at 74 percent.
去年，来自几个非洲大国的大量学生被拒签。到2023年，埃塞俄比亚将达到78%，尼日利亚将达到75%，肯尼亚将达到74%。
For those countries, the percentages are high. But the number of students going to the U.S. is also high. For example, Nigeria ranked seventh in the 2023 Open Doors Report with over 17,600 students studying in the U.S. The total is an increase of 22 percent over 2022.
对于这些国家来说，这一比例很高。但是去美国留学的学生数量也很高。例如，尼日利亚在《2023年门户开放报告》中排名第七，有超过17,600名学生在美国学习，总数比2022年增加了22%。
Aw, representatives from the Presidents' Alliance and Shorelight met with representatives from the State Department last summer. Shorelight is a business that connects international students with universities that offer the study programs they want.
去年夏天，总统联盟和Shorelight的代表会见了国务院的代表。Shorelight是一家将国际学生与提供他们想要的学习项目的大学联系起来的公司。
The U.S. State Department said students should have the chance to secure a student visa no matter where they are from. The groups decided to continue discussing their concerns in the future.
美国国务院表示，无论来自哪里，学生都应该有机会获得学生签证。这些团体决定在未来继续讨论他们的担忧。
Aw said activists want to discover the reason for the disproportionate number of denials. Only about one in 10 European students were denied visas in 2023, for example.
奥说，活动人士希望找出拒绝申请人数过多的原因。例如，2023年，只有十分之一的欧洲学生被拒签。
One concern, Aw said, is to make certain those who review visa applications "are fully trained in the way they make determinations (for student visas)." She wants to be sure African students are considered in the same way as students from other parts of the world.
欧说，一个值得关注的问题是，要确保那些审查签证申请的人“在(学生签证)做出决定的方式上受过充分的培训”。她希望确保非洲学生与来自世界其他地区的学生受到同样的对待。
In addition, she asked for more student visa appointments. Aw said many students who want to come to the U.S. get discouraged and turn to education in other countries.
此外，她要求更多的学生签证预约。奥说，许多想来美国的学生都感到气馁，转而在其他国家接受教育。
"Word goes around, ‘Don't bother, because you're never going to make it,'" Aw said. "And that is not the message any of us want to see."
“大家都说，‘别麻烦了，因为你不可能成功的，’”欧说。“这不是我们任何人都想看到的信息。”
"So don't get me wrong — (if) students want to go to China or India, there's nothing wrong with that - or other places. But it shouldn't be because they couldn't get here (the U.S.)."
“所以不要误解我的意思，如果学生想去中国或印度，或者其他地方，这没有什么错。但这不应该是因为他们无法来到这里(美国)。”
She noted that education programs "build bridges" as students go on to international jobs and make connections with the U.S. Aw also noted that, as education systems improve around the world, students have more choices.
她指出，教育项目为学生从事国际工作并与美国建立联系架起了“桥梁”。奥巴马还指出，随着世界各地教育体系的改善，学生们有了更多的选择。
U.S. officials told VOA that international students are very important, or a top priority. They added that all visa applications are processed on their individual merits and under U.S. immigration law.
美国官员对美国之音表示，国际学生非常重要，或者说是重中之重。他们补充说，所有签证申请都是根据个人情况和美国移民法处理的。
Leon Fresco is an immigration lawyer in Washington, D.C. Fresco said he wants to know more "about this weird African disparity." He said he wants more people to know about it to, in his words, "start the process of fixing it."
Leon Fresco是华盛顿特区的一名移民律师。Fresco说，他想更多地了解“这种奇怪的非洲差异”。他说，他希望更多的人了解它，用他的话来说，“开始修复它的过程。”
Both Fresco and Aw suggested that U.S. government officials are not up to date on the quality of students aiming to study in the U.S.
Fresco和Aw都认为，美国政府官员没有及时了解赴美留学学生的素质。
"In the case of Africa and India," Aw said, "...most of these students are graduate students who are coming for (science) and (business) fields, areas that are very much needed and where innovation happens."
“就非洲和印度而言，”欧说，“……这些学生中的大多数是研究生，他们来到(科学)和(商业)领域，这些领域非常需要，也是创新发生的地方。”
"We want to make sure there's an understanding that Africa and African countries are changing rapidly and that we're not keeping, you know, preconceived notions or outdated notions about what's happening in Africa."
“我们希望确保非洲和非洲国家正在迅速变化，我们不会对非洲正在发生的事情保持先入为主的观念或过时的观念。”
In an email to VOA, a representative from the State Department said its Education USA program aims to help Africans attend U.S. colleges. But, as more students are interested in studying in the U.S., the percentage of visa denials will increase. It also noted that more Africans received student visas in 2023 than ever before.
美国国务院的一名代表在给美国之音的一封电子邮件中说，美国教育项目旨在帮助非洲人进入美国大学。但是，随着越来越多的学生有兴趣在美国学习，签证被拒的比例将会增加。报告还指出，2023年获得学生签证的非洲人比以往任何时候都多。
Countries like Nigeria, Ghana, Zimbabwe, Uganda, Eswatini, Ivory Coast and Madagascar have had more student visas approved than at any time in the past 20 years. Compared to 2019, the year before the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a 61 percent increase in approved student visas among those countries.
尼日利亚、加纳、津巴布韦、乌干达、斯瓦蒂尼、科特迪瓦和马达加斯加等国获得的学生签证比过去20年的任何时候都多。与2019年(COVID-19大流行的前一年)相比，这些国家批准的学生签证增加了61%。
Aw said her group sees progress. She gave the example that students no longer need to have in-person interviews in order to renew their visas. And students can also apply for visa renewal without traveling to their home country.
欧说，她的组织看到了进展。她举了一个例子，学生们不再需要面对面的面试来更新他们的签证。学生也可以在不返回本国的情况下申请签证续签。
A group of American lawmakers wrote a letter earlier this year to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken. They said that educational exchange is an important part of international diplomacy.
今年早些时候，一群美国议员给美国国务卿安东尼·布林肯写了一封信。他们说，教育交流是国际外交的重要组成部分。
"It is critical that foreign students from Africa are treated similarly to foreign students from other parts of the world. There should be no reason that the State Department data should reflect such disparities among similarly situated countries," the letter read.
“至关重要的是，来自非洲的外国学生应该得到与来自世界其他地区的外国学生同样的待遇。国务院的数据没有理由反映出类似国家之间的这种差异。”
And, as Aw noted, the results that come from students having a good experience in the U.S. last for years.
而且，正如奥所指出的那样，在美国有良好经历的学生所取得的成果可以持续多年。
She said: "If we have a generation of students who are denied access to an education here in the U.S., that's a generation that...will have missed out in building friendships, bridges, businesses and so forth."
她说:“如果我们这一代学生被剥夺了在美国接受教育的机会，那这一代人……就会错过建立友谊、桥梁、商业等方面的机会。”
活动人士表示，在美国寻求高等教育的非洲学生的签证拒绝率太高。
Fanta Aw is executive director of NAFSA: Association of International Educators. NAFSA is a nonprofit organization that supports international student exchange.
Fanta Aw是国际教育工作者协会的执行董事。NAFSA是一个支持国际学生交换的非营利性组织。
Aw said data released in 2023 by the Presidents' Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration shows visa rejections. She said the rejection rates for African students are higher than rates for students from the Middle East, South America and South Asia.
欧说，高等教育和移民总统联盟在2023年发布的数据显示了拒签。她说，非洲学生的拒绝率高于中东、南美和南亚学生的拒绝率。
At the same time, however, the IEEE Open Doors Report says the number of students from sub-Saharan Africa studying in the U.S. is growing. The most recent Open Doors Report, which follows foreign students in the U.S., shows that the number of students from African countries south of the Sahara Desert increased by 18 percent.
然而，与此同时，IEEE门户开放报告称，在美国学习的撒哈拉以南非洲学生人数正在增长。最新的《门户开放报告》追踪了在美留学生的情况，报告显示，来自撒哈拉沙漠以南非洲国家的留学生人数增加了18%。
Aw said the rejection numbers mean many more African students could be studying in the U.S. Fewer American students are going to college and not as many Chinese students are studying in the U.S. African students could help replace those groups, she said.
奥说，拒绝的数字意味着更多的非洲学生可能会在美国学习。她说，越来越少的美国学生上大学，而在美国学习的中国学生也没有那么多。非洲学生可以帮助取代这些群体。
Last year, big percentages of students from several large African countries were denied study visas. In 2023, examples include Ethiopia at 78 percent, Nigeria at 75 percent and Kenya at 74 percent.
去年，来自几个非洲大国的大量学生被拒签。到2023年，埃塞俄比亚将达到78%，尼日利亚将达到75%，肯尼亚将达到74%。
For those countries, the percentages are high. But the number of students going to the U.S. is also high. For example, Nigeria ranked seventh in the 2023 Open Doors Report with over 17,600 students studying in the U.S. The total is an increase of 22 percent over 2022.
对于这些国家来说，这一比例很高。但是去美国留学的学生数量也很高。例如，尼日利亚在《2023年门户开放报告》中排名第七，有超过17,600名学生在美国学习，总数比2022年增加了22%。
Aw, representatives from the Presidents' Alliance and Shorelight met with representatives from the State Department last summer. Shorelight is a business that connects international students with universities that offer the study programs they want.
去年夏天，总统联盟和Shorelight的代表会见了国务院的代表。Shorelight是一家将国际学生与提供他们想要的学习项目的大学联系起来的公司。
The U.S. State Department said students should have the chance to secure a student visa no matter where they are from. The groups decided to continue discussing their concerns in the future.
美国国务院表示，无论来自哪里，学生都应该有机会获得学生签证。这些团体决定在未来继续讨论他们的担忧。
Aw said activists want to discover the reason for the disproportionate number of denials. Only about one in 10 European students were denied visas in 2023, for example.
奥说，活动人士希望找出拒绝申请人数过多的原因。例如，2023年，只有十分之一的欧洲学生被拒签。
One concern, Aw said, is to make certain those who review visa applications "are fully trained in the way they make determinations (for student visas)." She wants to be sure African students are considered in the same way as students from other parts of the world.
欧说，一个值得关注的问题是，要确保那些审查签证申请的人“在(学生签证)做出决定的方式上受过充分的培训”。她希望确保非洲学生与来自世界其他地区的学生受到同样的对待。
In addition, she asked for more student visa appointments. Aw said many students who want to come to the U.S. get discouraged and turn to education in other countries.
此外，她要求更多的学生签证预约。奥说，许多想来美国的学生都感到气馁，转而在其他国家接受教育。
"Word goes around, ‘Don't bother, because you're never going to make it,'" Aw said. "And that is not the message any of us want to see."
“大家都说，‘别麻烦了，因为你不可能成功的，’”欧说。“这不是我们任何人都想看到的信息。”
"So don't get me wrong — (if) students want to go to China or India, there's nothing wrong with that - or other places. But it shouldn't be because they couldn't get here (the U.S.)."
“所以不要误解我的意思，如果学生想去中国或印度，或者其他地方，这没有什么错。但这不应该是因为他们无法来到这里(美国)。”
She noted that education programs "build bridges" as students go on to international jobs and make connections with the U.S. Aw also noted that, as education systems improve around the world, students have more choices.
她指出，教育项目为学生从事国际工作并与美国建立联系架起了“桥梁”。奥巴马还指出，随着世界各地教育体系的改善，学生们有了更多的选择。
U.S. officials told VOA that international students are very important, or a top priority. They added that all visa applications are processed on their individual merits and under U.S. immigration law.
美国官员对美国之音表示，国际学生非常重要，或者说是重中之重。他们补充说，所有签证申请都是根据个人情况和美国移民法处理的。
Leon Fresco is an immigration lawyer in Washington, D.C. Fresco said he wants to know more "about this weird African disparity." He said he wants more people to know about it to, in his words, "start the process of fixing it."
Leon Fresco是华盛顿特区的一名移民律师。Fresco说，他想更多地了解“这种奇怪的非洲差异”。他说，他希望更多的人了解它，用他的话来说，“开始修复它的过程。”
Both Fresco and Aw suggested that U.S. government officials are not up to date on the quality of students aiming to study in the U.S.
Fresco和Aw都认为，美国政府官员没有及时了解赴美留学学生的素质。
"In the case of Africa and India," Aw said, "...most of these students are graduate students who are coming for (science) and (business) fields, areas that are very much needed and where innovation happens."
“就非洲和印度而言，”欧说，“……这些学生中的大多数是研究生，他们来到(科学)和(商业)领域，这些领域非常需要，也是创新发生的地方。”
"We want to make sure there's an understanding that Africa and African countries are changing rapidly and that we're not keeping, you know, preconceived notions or outdated notions about what's happening in Africa."
“我们希望确保非洲和非洲国家正在迅速变化，我们不会对非洲正在发生的事情保持先入为主的观念或过时的观念。”
In an email to VOA, a representative from the State Department said its Education USA program aims to help Africans attend U.S. colleges. But, as more students are interested in studying in the U.S., the percentage of visa denials will increase. It also noted that more Africans received student visas in 2023 than ever before.
美国国务院的一名代表在给美国之音的一封电子邮件中说，美国教育项目旨在帮助非洲人进入美国大学。但是，随着越来越多的学生有兴趣在美国学习，签证被拒的比例将会增加。报告还指出，2023年获得学生签证的非洲人比以往任何时候都多。
Countries like Nigeria, Ghana, Zimbabwe, Uganda, Eswatini, Ivory Coast and Madagascar have had more student visas approved than at any time in the past 20 years. Compared to 2019, the year before the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a 61 percent increase in approved student visas among those countries.
尼日利亚、加纳、津巴布韦、乌干达、斯瓦蒂尼、科特迪瓦和马达加斯加等国获得的学生签证比过去20年的任何时候都多。与2019年(COVID-19大流行的前一年)相比，这些国家批准的学生签证增加了61%。
Aw said her group sees progress. She gave the example that students no longer need to have in-person interviews in order to renew their visas. And students can also apply for visa renewal without traveling to their home country.
欧说，她的组织看到了进展。她举了一个例子，学生们不再需要面对面的面试来更新他们的签证。学生也可以在不返回本国的情况下申请签证续签。
A group of American lawmakers wrote a letter earlier this year to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken. They said that educational exchange is an important part of international diplomacy.
今年早些时候，一群美国议员给美国国务卿安东尼·布林肯写了一封信。他们说，教育交流是国际外交的重要组成部分。
"It is critical that foreign students from Africa are treated similarly to foreign students from other parts of the world. There should be no reason that the State Department data should reflect such disparities among similarly situated countries," the letter read.
“至关重要的是，来自非洲的外国学生应该得到与来自世界其他地区的外国学生同样的待遇。国务院的数据没有理由反映出类似国家之间的这种差异。”
And, as Aw noted, the results that come from students having a good experience in the U.S. last for years.
而且，正如奥所指出的那样，在美国有良好经历的学生所取得的成果可以持续多年。
She said: "If we have a generation of students who are denied access to an education here in the U.S., that's a generation that...will have missed out in building friendships, bridges, businesses and so forth."
她说:“如果我们这一代学生被剥夺了在美国接受教育的机会，那这一代人……就会错过建立友谊、桥梁、商业等方面的机会。”
