IBPC asks for expedited student visa processing

Expecting an increased enrolment to follow its recently signed agreement with a Honolulu university, the CNMI-USA International Business and Professional College urged the Division of Immigration to take steps to expedite the processing of student visa applications.

IBPC president Herman Sablan said the college, which recently signed a memorandum of agreement with Argosy University, is targeting to increase its current enrolment of about 110 international students to 300 by the end of 2005 and up to 500 by fall next year.

To achieve this goal, IBPC will need the assistance of the Immigration division, Sablan said.

In a Dec. 21 letter to Immigration director Antonio Sablan, the college official said IBPC has over 100 student visa applications pending with Immigration.

IBPC’s Sablan noted that the fall semester is now completed and IBPC has not received the visas of these students nor any correspondence from Immigration indicating the status of the applications.

“If there is any additional information you require on any of the applications, we would be very happy to accommodate you. Just let us know what else you require. Also, if we may be able to assist in clearing the backlog of visa applications or in making the process more efficient, please let us know,” Sablan said.

IBPC, a privately owned postsecondary educational institution licensed by the State Board of Regents, signed the memorandum of agreement with Argosy University during a special ceremony on Dec. 16 at the Argosy campus in Honolulu.

Under the three-year agreement, IBPC will host Argosy courses in the CNMI by providing the personnel, facilities, and equipment.

In return, Argosy will provide curriculum standards, instructor certification, and information and material that will be used in marketing Argosy programs, among other things.

Both parties will agree upon compensation for Argosy based on the enrolment and number of classes offered by IBPC.

“Argosy University-Honolulu’s highly regarded programs will be increasingly accessible to a greater number of students. This partnership enables each of us to reach beyond our respective shores to offer additional opportunities to students in the greater Pacific basin nations of the CNMI, Micronesia, the Philippines, Japan, China, and Korea, as well as here in Honolulu,” interim Argosy president Ron Ogrodnik said in a press statement issued earlier.

Sablan said he is also pursuing partnerships with two other U.S. postsecondary institutions.