Sensitive Disciplines and the Technology Alert List

Host departments and Visitors should be aware that certain disciplines are considered "sensitive" by the State Department. The Technology Alert List describes which fields are considered sensitive, and outlines procedures consuls must follow in issuing entry visas to prospective Exchange Visitors whose areas of study or research coincide with fields on the list.

The procedures can cause delays of several weeks, and in extreme cases the State Department may decide that issues of national security outweigh those of the Exchange Visitor Program. In these cases the hopeful Exchange Visitor will not receive an entry visa, and will not be able to participate in the Program. When this happens, there is little if anything that Stanford is able to do to reverse the decision.

Neither Stanford nor the International Center can predict with accuracy whether a particular Exchange Visitor may be affected by the Technology Alert List, since its application is a discretionary issue for the consul who reviews the application. After six weeks from the date of the interview, we can make an inquiry into the case status. If your scholar has been delayed more than six weeks, please send e-mail to foreign.scholars@stanford.edu.