WASHINGTON, D.C., Mon. Nov. 15: Caribbean students applying for student visas in the U.S. may know sooner rather than later, whether they have been approved or not. The U.S. State Department says it is working on speeding up the processing time of student visas. Secretary of State Colin Powell, made the comment in response to a question posed by college reporters during a visit to the State Department of Friday. “We've made a major effort on speeding up student visas, and if you'll look at the data, the time it takes is going down,” said Powell “It usually takes a year or so … And we're trying to, you know, work that off as fast as we can.” Powell also said the department is working with Homeland Security to address to reduce “what's often seen as profiling and heavy-handedness at our airports.” But he admitted that the U.S. is having problems convincing students around the world “that we really do want them to come here,” in light of tighter laws since 9/11 and the introduction of the Student and Exchange Visitor Information Systems. SEVIS is an Internet-based computer system that will enable schools and program sponsors to transmit electronic information and event notifications to INS and the Department of State throughout the stay of a foreign or exchange student in the United States. Meanwhile, questioned by a college reporter from James Madison University on whether he was going to stay in the post, Powell said, “ The President's still looking over the Cabinet, and the Cabinet's looking over what the first four years were like. This is not easy work. And so, we're all in conversations with the President, and he will make known his decisions as we go through this process, and that's really all I'm able to say about it.” SOURCE: HARDBEATNEWS.COM