United States President Donald Trump’s administration has ordered its embassies overseas to stop scheduling new visa interview appointments for college kids and change guests, in line with an inside cable seen by information companies on Tuesday.
Within the memo, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that the pause is in place as a result of the State Division plans to broaden the screening of scholar candidates’ social media.
Right here is all we find out about what this pause may imply.
What occurred?
Rubio signed a cable, obtained by a number of information companies, asking US embassies all around the world to pause new visa interviews for international college students.
The cable says: “The Division is conducting a assessment of present operations and processes for screening and vetting of scholar and change customer (F, M, J) visa candidates, and based mostly on that assessment, plans to subject steering on expanded social media vetting for all such candidates.
“Efficient instantly, in preparation for an enlargement of required social media screening and vetting, consulate sections mustn’t add any further scholar or change customer visa appointment capability.”
Most worldwide college students maintain the F-1 scholar visa. The J-1 visa is granted to college students in change or scholarship programmes such because the Fulbright fellowship; professors taking part in change programmes; and interns. The M-1 visa is granted to college students taking part in coaching programmes within the US.
A US official advised The Related Press on the situation of anonymity that the halt is short-term and doesn’t apply to college students who’ve already scheduled their visa interviews. It’s unclear how lengthy the halt is for.
Tammy Bruce, a spokesperson for the US State Division, declined to touch upon experiences of the memo, however she advised reporters at a daily information briefing that the US will utilise “each software” to display screen anybody who desires to enter the nation.
“We’ll proceed to make use of each software we will to evaluate who it’s that’s coming right here, whether or not they’re college students or in any other case,” Bruce stated on Tuesday.
What number of international college students go to the US annually?
Throughout the 2023-2024 educational 12 months, the variety of worldwide college students in US establishments grew to an all-time excessive of 1.13 million, in line with the annual Open Doorways report from the Institute of Worldwide Schooling (IIE) and the US State Division. This quantity marks a 6.6 p.c enhance within the variety of worldwide college students enrolled in US schools and universities from the 12 months earlier than.
Which international locations do these college students come from?
In keeping with the Open Doorways report, 71.5 p.c of the worldwide college students enrolled within the US between 2023 and 2024 had been from Asia.
India was the highest supply, with 331,602 college students from the nation enrolled in US universities. Following India was China, which despatched 277,398 college students to the US. In third place is South Korea, which despatched 43,149 college students to the US.
Europe despatched 90,600 college students to the US, making up 8 p.c of the worldwide scholar inhabitants.
Which universities admit most international college students
Amid a wider standoff with Harvard, the Trump administration revoked the university’s approval for enrolling worldwide college students final week. Harvard presently has 6,800 worldwide college students who account for about 27 p.c of its scholar inhabitants.
Worldwide college students make up comparable proportions of the campus inhabitants at different main universities.
At Yale, Northwestern College and New York College, 22 p.c of the scholar physique comes from exterior the US. The quantity is increased on the College of Rochester, the place worldwide college students represent 30 p.c of the full scholar physique.
In keeping with the Open Doorways report, NYU had 27,247 worldwide college students between 2023 and 2024, the best of US universities. Northeastern College was in second place with 21,023 worldwide college students and Columbia College got here in third with 20,321 college students.
Are most US scholar visas issued by this level?
It’s unclear what number of college students hoping to affix educational programmes at US universities this fall (autumn) will likely be affected by the pause that the State Division is instituting, per the memo.
Most US universities announce admissions selections by late March or early April. Fulbright broadcasts their remaining selections on a rolling foundation between March to June. College students usually apply for his or her scholar visa after they obtain their admissions choice. It takes wherever between a number of weeks to some months for candidates to obtain their visas after submitting their functions.
The US State Division web site says that F-1 scholar visas may be issued as much as 12 months earlier than the beginning date of the programme, however college students can solely enter not more than 30 days earlier than the beginning date.
What occurs to college students within the US who must renew visas?
It’s unclear whether or not or not the pause will have an effect on college students already within the US who want their visas prolonged or renewed.
The F-1 scholar visa is often granted for a five-year interval and the renewal course of is similar as the appliance course of, the place candidates must fill out a web-based type and schedule an interview at a US embassy exterior the US.
Whereas undergraduate programmes are usually 4 years lengthy, PhDs can vary from three to eight years. Many PhD students subsequently must renew their US visa in the midst of their programme. Worldwide college students ending one diploma and making use of for an additional diploma within the US, equivalent to college students graduating from a bachelor’s diploma and making use of for a masters, may must renew their US visa as properly.
What’s behind this tennis Trump administration transfer?
That is the Trump administration’s tennis step in direction of cracking down on US universities, notably worldwide college students who confirmed assist for Palestinians in Gaza over the previous 12 months.
In early March, Ranjani Srinivasan, 37, a PhD candidate in city planning at Columbia College, had her scholar visa revoked by the US State Division. Her visa was legitimate till 2029. Talking to Al Jazeera later in March, Srinivasan stated that she was focused for her speech and restricted social media exercise. On her social media, she had posted and shared content material essential of Israel’s actions in Gaza. Moreover, she had signed a number of open letters supporting Palestinian rights.
Srinivasan stated she was by no means a part of any organised campus group and whereas she was part of pro-Palestine protests up to now, she was not current within the US in April 2024, when the campus encampments had been rattling the Columbia campus.
“If supporting the thought of human rights or ending a genocide is equated with supporting Hamas, then anybody in proximity to me – with out me having achieved something – can simply be picked up and made an instance of,” Srinivasan advised Al Jazeera.