Technology Alert List (TAL) - These Majors/Areas May get 221g

Technology Alert List is a list of Majors or Areas that poses a Security threat to USA from International Students being a student of that major. Some F1 Visa Applicants from TAL Majors may get 221g under Technology Alert List (TAL). It will take weeks to clear TAL - 221g. US Consulate will put your visa under 'Temporary Refusal' until your TAL is cleared. Here is listing of 'Technology Alert List' Majors. It is very common getting 221g in F1 Visa Interview for Chemical, Nuclear Engineering Majors. TAL 221g is just formal. You don't need to worry about it. You will get visa, but it will take few weeks to get it. Also, Not all students from TAL majors will get a 221g rejection.

Technology Alert List - TAL CRITICAL FIELDS LIST

A. CONVENTIONAL MUNITIONS: Technologies associated with:

Warheads and other large caliber projectiles
Reactive armor and warhead defeat systems
Fusing and arming systems
Electronic countermeasures and systems
New or novel explosives and formulations
Automated explosive detection methods and equipment

B. NUCLEAR TECHNOLOGY: Technologies associated with production and use of nuclear material for both peaceful and military applications. Included are technologies for:

Enrichment of fissile material
Reprocessing irradiated nuclear fuel to recover produced plutonium
Production of heavy water for moderator material
Plutonium and tritium handling

Also, certain associated technologies related to nuclear physics and/or nuclear engineering. Includes materials, equipment or technology associated with:

Power reactors, breeder and production reactors
Fissile or special nuclear materials
Uranium enrichment, including gaseous diffusion, centrifuge, aerodynamic, chemical, Electromagnetic Isotopic Separation (EMIS), Laser Isotope Separation (LIS)
Spent fuel reprocessing, plutonium, mixed oxide nuclear research
Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF)
Magnetic confinement fusion
Laser fusion, high power lasers, plasma,
Nuclear fuel fabrication including Mixed Oxide (uranium-plutonium) fuels (MOX)
Heavy water production
Tritium production and use
Hardening technology

C. ROCKET SYSTEMS (including ballistic missile systems, space launch vehicles and sounding rockets) and Unmanned Air Vehicles (UAV) (including cruise missiles, target drones, and reconnaissance drones): Technologies associated with rocket systems and UAV systems. The technology needed to develop a satellite launch vehicle is virtually identical to that needed to build a ballistic missile.


D. ROCKET SYSTEM AND UNMANNED AIR VEHICLE (UAV) SUBSYSTEMS: Propulsion technologies include solid rocket motor stages, and liquid propellant engines. Other critical subsystems include re-entry vehicles, guidance sets, thrust vector controls and warhead safing, arming and fusing. Many of these technologies are dual-use. Technologies include:

Liquid and solid rocket propulsion systems
Missile propulsion and systems integration
Individual rocket stages or staging/separation mechanism
Aerospace thermal (such as superalloys) and high-performance structures
Propulsion systems test facilities

E. NAVIGATION, AVIONICS AND FLIGHT CONTROL USEABLE IN ROCKET SYSTEMS AND UNMANNED AIR VEHICLES (UAV): These capabilities directly determine the delivery accuracy and lethality of both unguided and guided weapons. The long- term costs to design, build and apply these technologies have been a limiting proliferation factor. Technologies include those associated with:

Internal navigation systems
Tracking and terminal homing devices
Accelerometers and gyroscopes
Rocket and UAV and flight control systems.
Global Positioning System (GPS)

F. CHEMICAL, BIOTECHNOLOGY AND BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING: The technology used to produce chemical and biological weapons is inherently dual-use. The same technologies that could be applied to develop and produce chemical and biological weapons are used widely by civilian research laboratories and industry; these technologies are relatively common in many countries. Advanced biotechnology has the potential to support biological weapons research. In the biological area, look for interest in technologies associated with:

Aerobiology (study of microorganisms found in the air or in aerosol form)
Biochemistry
Pharmacology
Immunology
Virology
Bacteriology
Mycology
Microbiology
Growth and culturing of microorganisms
Pathology (study of diseases)
Toxicology
Study of toxins
Virulence factors
Genetic engineering, recombinant DNA technology
Identification of nucleic acid sequences associated with pathogenecity
Freeze-drying (lyophilization)
Fermentation technology
Cross-filtration equipment
High "DOP-rated filters" (e.g., HEPA filters, ULPA filters)
Microencapsulation
Aerosol sprayers and technology, aerosol and aerosolization technology
Spray or drum drying technology
Milling equipment or technology intended for the production of micron-sized particles
Technology for eliminating electrostatic charges of small particles
Flight training
Crop-dusting, aerosol dissemination
Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) technology
Fuses, detonators, and other munitions technology
Submunitions technology
Computer modeling of dissemination or contagion
Chemical absorption (nuclear-biological-chemical (NBC) protection)

In the chemical area, look for:

Organo-phosphate chemistry
Neurochemistry
Chemical engineering
Chemical separation technology
Pesticide production technology
Pharmaceutical production technology
Chemical separation technology
Toxicology
Pharmacology
Neurology
Immunology
Detection of toxic chemical aerosols
Chemical absorption (Nuclear-Biological-Chemical (NBC) protection)
Production of glass-lined steel reactors/vessels, pipes, flanges, and other equipment
Aerosol sprayers and technology
Flight training
Crop-dusting, aerosol dissemination
Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) technology
Fuses, detonators, and other munitions technology
Submunitions technology
Computer modeling of dissemination

G. REMOTE SENSING, IMAGING AND RECONNAISSANCE: Satellite and aircraft remote sensing technologies are inherently dual-use; increasingly sophisticated technologies can be used for civilian imagery projects or for military and intelligence reconnaissance activities. Drones and remotely piloted vehicles also augment satellite capabilities. Key-word associated technologies are:

Remote sensing satellites
High resolution multi-spectral, electro-optical and radar data/imagery
Imagery instruments, cameras, optics, and synthetic aperture radar systems
Ground receiving stations and data/image processing systems
Photogrammetry
Imagery data and information products
Piloted aircraft
Unmanned Air Vehicles (UAV)
Remotely-piloted vehicles; and drones

I. ADVANCED COMPUTER/MICROELECTRONIC TECHNOLOGY: Advanced computers and software play a useful (but not necessarily critical) role in the development and deployment of missiles and missile systems, and in the development and production of nuclear weapons. Advanced computer capabilities are also used in over-the-horizon targeting, airborne early warning targeting, Electronic Countermeasures (ECM) processors. These technologies are associated with:

Supercomputing, hybrid computing
Speech processing/recognition systems
Neural networks
Data fusion
Quantum wells, resonant tunneling
Superconductivity
Advance optoelectronics
Acoustic wave devices,
Superconducting electron devices
Flash discharge type x-ray systems
Frequency synthesizers
Microcomputer compensated crystal oscillators

J.MATERIALS TECHNOLOGY: The metallic, ceramic and composite materials are primarily related to structural functions in aircraft, spacecraft, missiles, undersea vehicles, and propulsion devices. Polymers provide seals and sealants for containment of identified fluids and lubricants for various vehicles and devices. High density graphite is used in missile nosetips, jet vanes and nozzle throats. Selected specialty materials (i.e., stealth and the performance of these materials) provide critical capabilities that exploit electromagnetic absorption, magnetic, or superconductivity characteristics. These technologies are associated with:

Advanced metals and alloys
Non-composite ceramic materials
Ceramic, cermet, organic and carbon materials
Polymeric materials
Synthetics fluids
Hot isostatic
Densifications
Intermetallic
Organometals
Liquid and solid lubricant
Magnetic metals and superconductive conductors

K. INFORMATION SECURITY: Technologies associated with cryptography and cryptographic systems to ensure secrecy for communications, video, data and related software.

L. LASER AND DIRECTED ENERGY SYSTEMS TECHNOLOGY: Lasers have critical military applications, including incorporation in guided ordinance such as laser guided bombs and ranging devices. Directed energy technologies are used to generate electromagnetic radiation or particle beams and to project that energy on a specific target. Kinetic energy technologies are those used to impart a high velocity to a mass and direct it to a target. Directed energy and kinetic energy technologies have potential utility in countering missiles and other applications. Look for technologies associated with:

Atomic Vapor Laser Isotope Separation (AVLIS)
Molecular Laser Isotope Separation (MLIS)
High Energy Lasers (HEL) (i.e., laser welders)
Low Energy Lasers (LEL)
Semiconductor lasers
Free electron lasers
Directed Energy (DE) systems
Kinetic Energy (KE) systems
Particle beam, beam rider, electromagnetic guns, Optoelectronics/electro-oPtics (Europe)
Optical tracking (i.e., target designators)
High energy density
High-speed pulse generation, pulsed power
Hypersonic and/or hypervelocity
Magnetohydrodynamics

M. SENSORS AND SENSOR TECHNOLOGY: Sensors provide real-time information and data, and could provide a significant military advantage in a conflict. Marine acoustics is critical in anti-submarine warfare; gravity meters are essential for missile launch calibration. Look for technologies associated with:

Marine acoustics
Optical sensors
Night vision devices, image intensification devices
Gravity meters
High speed photographic equipment
Magnetometers

N. MARINE TECHNOLOGY: Marine technologies are often associated with submarines and other deep submersible vessels; propulsion systems designed for undersea use and navigation and quieting systems are associated with reducing detectability and enhancing operations survivability. Look for technologies connected with:

Submarines and submersibles
Undersea robots
Marine propulsion systems
Signature recognition
Acoustic and non-acoustic detection
Acoustic, wake, radar and magnetic signature reduction
Magnetohydrodynamics
Stirling engines and other air independent propulsion systems

O. ROBOTICS: Technologies associated with:

Artificial intelligence
Automation
Computer-controlled machine tools
Pattern recognition technologies.


O. URBAN PLANNING: Expertise in construction or design of systems or technologies necessary to sustain modern urban societies. (PLEASE NOTE: Urban Planning may not fall under the purview of INA section 212 (a)(3)(a), U.S. technology transfer laws, or any other U.S. law or regulation. However, Urban Planning is a special interest item and posts are requested to refer such visa application requests to CA/VO/L/C for further review.) Look for technologies/skills associated with:

Architecture
Civil engineering
Community development
Environmental planning
Geography
Housing
Landscape architecture
Land use and comprehensive planning
Urban design

Technology Alert List(TAL) 2012