Massimo Piattelli-Palmarini

Massimo Piattelli-Palmarini only had a few days left on his visa when he arrived in the United States last August. But he knew a quick trip to Mexico would solve all his problems.

Piattelli-Palmarini's plan was to visit the U.S. consulate in Nogales to get his visa renewed because it was taking too long to process in Italy.

"We are lucky to have a place only two hours away for this," said Piattelli-Palmarini, a linguistics professor.

Piattelli-Palmarini usually renews his visa each summer when he travels back to Italy. In previous summers, it only took about a week for a renewal. Last summer, he said he was told it would take at least three weeks.

If his visa had expired in Italy, he would have had to wait until he received the new one before flying back to Arizona to teach.

Piattelli-Palmarini's day trip to Nogales is not uncommon for students and faculty who need visas.

The U.S. consulate in Nogales works closely with the Office of International Student Programs and Services, said Ben Ousley, the consular section chief in Nogales.

"We recommend that all applicants touch base with the (ISPS) office for more detailed information before traveling down," he said.

Joanne LagassŽ-Long, director of ISPS, said her center usually sees students every week who go down to Nogales for visas.

She said students could remain in America on an expired visa as long as they maintain their student status.

But sometimes problems arise when students have to go overseas, whether to visit family back home or, in a situation common for grad students, to give presentations in other countries, she said.

"They cannot re-enter the U.S. without a current visa," she said. "Before they travel abroad, they need to be able to come back."

LagassŽ-Long said a large number of international students have benefited from the Nogales consulate, but she does not have an exact count.

"The U.S. consulate in Nogales has always been gracious with seeing students not from Mexico," she said.

Doug Broadhurst, an international student adviser at the University of California, San Diego, said some UCSD students also cross the border for visa renewals.

He said students like the ease of taking a morning to go down to Tijuana, apply for a visa and get it that day.

But he said the consulate there is cautioning students to be prepared when they come. If their visas are expired and they can't get a new one that day, they cannot get back into the United States, he said.

LagassŽ-Long expressed similar concerns.

"What Nogales can and will do changes all the time," she said.

For instance, the consulate can no longer see students from China or special registration students, she said.

If students have restrictions on their travel, they usually know who they are, Ousley said.

Applicants are typically processed within an hour of arriving at the consulate, he said.

"If the applicant is approved, their visa is printed that day and handed back in the afternoon," he said.

Piattelli-Palmarini said getting his visa took the entire morning and involved a lot of waiting.

He said he doesn't understand why the visa process is becoming so time-consuming.

"Seems to me it should be an easy thing," he said, adding that the process should be streamlined for faculty like himself who have had their visas for years and are employees of the state of Arizona.

"They should contemplate a special fast lane," he said.

LagassŽ-Long plans to visit with officials from the consulate later this spring, to talk about how they can continue to work together and provide students and faculty with the best service possible.

Those who want more information about the Nogales consulate can visit the ISPS Web site at internationalstudents.arizona.edu, which is continually updated with the latest rules and restrictions.

Piattelli-Palmarini said the Nogales consulate is a nice convenience, but the overall problems of getting visas may be deterring people from coming to the United States.

The number of international students at the UA has dropped by 300 since the United States tightened visa restrictions after Sept. 11, 2001.

Piattelli-Palmarini said long-term staff like himself will do whatever is required to get their visas, but for someone looking to come for only six months or a year, the process can be discouraging.

"They give up," he said.