Part 4: Government rules
Every foreign student who has been accepted to study in this country must have a legal document called a visa from the United States government. The rules for getting a visa have changed since the terrorist attacks against the United States in 2001. Three of the 19 hijackers1 in the September 11th attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon had student visas.
The State Department rules for giving permission to foreign students to study in the United States can be found on the State Department Website. The address is unitedstatesvisa.gov. United States visa is all one word. Another State Department Website for students from other countries is educationusa.gov.
Government officials say that national security2 is the most important issue3 in deciding if a person should be permitted to enter the United States. It takes a longer time than it used to for students to receive permission to enter the country. Officials must see if a student is on any list of people with possible links4 to terrorists.
The State Department says students are not being examined any more closely5 than other people who want to come to the United States. But students must enter the country before their classes begin. So they should apply for a visa as soon as they can, to permit enough time for approval6.
The State Department says the place to start is the United States Embassy or diplomatic office in the student's home area. And it says foreign students should apply for visas as soon as they have their documents.
Foreign students accepted at an American school will receive a document called a Certificate7 of Eligibility8. It permits entrance into the United States to study. The State Department says each student must enter the country using the certificate provided by the school he or she will be attending. It is a violation9 of the law to enter the country on one school's certificate but attend another school.
第4部分： 政府规定
每个被美国大学录取的外国学生都必须获得美国政府颁发的一个法律文件——签证。2001年发生了针对美国的9·11恐怖袭击事件以后，有关获取签证的规定变了，因为9月11号劫持飞机袭击世贸中心和五角大楼的19个人当中有3人持有学生签证。
美国国务院关于允许外国学生到美国学习的有关规定可以在国务院的网站上找到。网址是：unitedstatesvisa.gov. United States visa （美国签证）是合拼在一起的。国务院另一个针对留学生的网站是：educationusa.gov.
（美国）政府官员说在决定是否允许一个外国人进入美国时首要考虑的是美国国家安全问题。跟过去相比，学生需要等待更长的时间才能获准进入美国。官员们要查清楚学生是否在与恐怖分子有牵连的名单上榜上有名。
国务院说对学生的核查并不比对其他要进入美国的人员更严格。但是由于学生必须在开学之前到达，因此他们应尽早申请签证，以便有足够的时间获得批准。
国务院说申办手续的第一站是学生所在国的美国大使馆或者外交办事处，学生一拿到文件就应该尽快申请签证。
被美国大学录取的外国学生将获得一个叫做身份合格证的文件。学生藉此获准进入美国学习。国务院说每个学生都必须用他（她）要去的学校所提供的身份合格证进入美国。拿一个学校的证书进入美国而去另一所学校上学是违法的。
1. hijacker n. 劫持者，劫机者
2. security n. 安全
3. issue n. 问题，事情
4. link n. 连接，链接，关联
5. closely adv. 严密地，严格地
6. approval n. 批准
7. certificate n. 证书
8. eligibility n. 适合，合格
9. violation n. 违背，违反