Could HE be a solution for some Haitian asylum seekers?

In the past fiscal year, nearly 30,000 Haitians have been intercepted at the United States-Mexico border in comparison to the fewer than 5,000 Haitians who were intercepted in the 2020 fiscal year.

While many displaced persons are escaping violence and political persecution, an increase in natural disasters such as hurricanes, earthquakes, desertification and rising sea levels due to climate change have caused many to flee their homes.

In recent weeks, the border city of Del Rio, Texas, has become a holding area for Haitian migrants awaiting answers on their asylum requests.

This influx of Haitians to the border has caused a major humanitarian crisis. Already pushed to the limits, the US immigration system will need to adapt to admit Haitians seeking refuge. One way to provide an alternative pathway to migration to the US for Haitian migrants is through higher education opportunities.

Haitians at the US-Mexico border

As of the end of 2020, an estimated 82.4 million people were forcefully displaced around the globe.

Haiti, an island nation in the Caribbean, is accustomed to climate change disasters displacing citizens. In January of 2010, a 7.0 magnitude earthquake killed more than 220,000 people and destroyed the majority of the country’s infrastructure.

The 2010 earthquake displaced tens of thousands of Haitians who lost their homes and livelihoods and were searching for safer ground. Though the earthquake happened over a decade ago, Haiti continues to recuperate.

On 14 August 2021, a 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck the island. Because of this new climate disaster as well as existing political tensions from the assassination of the Haitian president in July, Haitian migrants are leaving the island and attempting to enter countries across the Americas.

While some of the migrants arriving in the US have left their homes only recently due to the political and environmental problems, the majority have travelled great lengths over many years to arrive in the US.

The US is not their first destination country. Many Haitians are arriving from South America where they are being turned away from countries such as Chile.

Haitian migration to and from Chile

After the earthquake of 2010, tens of thousands of Haitians were displaced and headed to South America, specifically Chile and Brazil, in search of jobs and additional opportunities. Chile was a promising nation as its economy was booming in the 2010s.

Haitians had to make the long and arduous trip through the Amazon and the Andes to arrive at their destination country.

Originally, Chile’s immigration system was open and migrants could arrive with no visa. Migrants could apply for legal documents through the civil registry and foreign office and become legally able to work and study.

In April 2021, Chilean President Sebastian Piñera passed a new migration bill which requires all arriving migrants to have obtained a visa prior to entering Chile. This new migration bill comes on the heels of rising xenophobia and anti-immigrant sentiment in the country.

With the COVID-19 pandemic, businesses and schools in Chile have been closed and the population has faced economic difficulties. Haitian and Venezuelan migrants often receive unjustified blame for economic and labour market issues due to rampant xenophobia in Chile.

The effect of the new migration bill has already been observed. The number of visas issued to Haitians in Chile this year has dropped to only 3,000 in comparison to the 126,000 issued in 2018. In 2021, more Haitians have left Chile than have arrived.

Haitians are leaving Chile and migrating north toward the US due to rumours of easier entry. Once they reach the US border, they are held in Mexico while awaiting the result of their request for asylum. The US has been deporting Haitians from Texas to Haiti after rejecting their asylum cases.

Some of the Haitian migrants being sent back to Haiti had left their home country nearly 10 years before and no longer have connections to the island nation. Rather than send migrants back to their devastated home country, the US needs to offer realistic complementary pathways of admission to Haitian migrants.

Admission through higher education

The US student visa system could be a complementary pathway of admission for Haitian migrants. Complementary pathways of admission are safe and regulated avenues that complement resettlement by providing refugees and asylum seekers with legal entry and stay in a country. They include humanitarian visas, family visas, work visas and student visas, among other options.

Higher education can serve as a pathway for legal admission to the US for refugees and at-risk migrants. The US student visa, known as the F1 visa, is available for those who want to enter tertiary education. Students on the F1 visa are able to bring their dependents to the US on the F2 visa as well.

While the F1 and F2 visas would be a solution for Haitian refugees looking to migrate to the US and study, various factors inhibit refugee students from entering higher education.

Strict admissions requirements from US universities, an inability to access official documents such as transcripts, few financial resources and language requirements are some of the barriers refugee students face.

In the US specifically, the strict F1 visa requirements, such as taking a full-time course of study, maintaining a residence outside of the US and financial costs make it difficult for refugee students to apply for and receive the visa.

To make higher education a feasible complementary pathway of admission for Haitian migrants and other refugee students, the F1 student visa must change.

First, the requirement to maintain a residency outside of the US should be removed. Many of the Haitians seeking asylum have lost their homes, assets and families. They are unable to prove a connection to their home country for the F1 visa application.

Additionally, application fees should be lowered or waived for those who are refugees or asylum seekers. The increased fees for visa services are a major barrier for many migrant students.

US higher education institutions should support Haitian migrants in their pursuit of higher education. Financial services such as scholarships and grants should be provided to students. Migrant and refugee students add value to campus and should be treated with respect and dignity. Psychological and cultural services should be offered by the institution to incoming refugee students.

Overall, the influx of Haitian migrants from South America to the US-Mexico border will continue to strain an already overworked system. Rather than send asylum seekers back to Haiti, the US should adapt and offer complementary pathways of admission to these Haitian migrants.

Higher education can serve as a complementary pathway of admission if the F1 student visa system is adjusted accordingly and if US higher education institutions support Haitian students appropriately.

Jessica Crist is the senior international services associate at the George Washington University in Washington, DC, United States. A current graduate student in the International Education Program at the George Washington University Graduate School of Education and Human Development, Crist is part of the Refugee Educational Advancement Lab (REAL) which focuses on research surrounding educational opportunities for at-risk migrants. Crist has worked in higher education at various institutions in the US and in Chile.