Washington (AP) – New State Department Guidance Visa Application Uncertainty is growing among American international students facing intense scrutiny from President Donald Trump’s administration.
On cable sent to the US embassy and consulate on Tuesday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio has stopped scheduling new visa interviews for international students as the department prepares guidelines for increasing screening of activities on social media. Existing appointments could be retained and could proceed under current review guidelines, Cable said.
Vladyslav Plyaka, a student at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh University, had planned to visit Poland to meet his mother and renew his visa, but now that the appointment of the visa has been suspended, he doesn’t know when it will be possible. He also feels it is not safe to leave the US even if plans resume.
“I don’t think there’s enough trust in this system at this point,” Plyka said.
AP Audio: New Visa Policy Added to US International Student Scrutiny Installation
Associated Press Washington correspondent Sagar Meghani reports on more Trump administration measures targeting international students.
The announcement comes days after the Trump administration moved to block Harvard University. International Student Registrationdecisions so far I’ll put it on hold The lawsuit is filed by a federal judge.
Trump said Wednesday that Harvard, whose current student population is more than a quarter of international students, should limit its proportion to around 15%.
“I want to make sure that foreign students are people who can love our country,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.
Earlier this year, the US immigration and customs enforcement agency was arrested. Foreign students Those involved in the campus’ protest against the Israeli-Hamas war. And then the Trump administration suddenly Legal status has ended After thousands of international students reversed themselves Expanding the site Students can lose their permission to study in the US
International students see new reasons for attention
The uncertainty raised by the suspension of visa appointments will further damage the US’s reputation as a destination country, according to Fanta AW, CEO of NAFSA, an association representing international educators. Students usually commit to study programs at the end of spring. This means peak time for students to schedule visa interviews.
“International students and academics are incredible assets that contribute to the excellence of innovation, research and economic strength,” AW said in a statement. “It’s self-defeating to undermine their ability to study here.”
At the University of Wisconsin-Madison, a climate of uncertainty has led to one international student canceling a trip to Vietnam this summer. He frequently emails the school’s international offices to ensure that his legal status is safe.
“There’s this constant anxiety. It’s extremely stressful,” the student said.
The suspension affects three categories of visas covering university students, high school exchange students and boarding school students. The largest category of F-1 visas includes students who are enrolled in full-time accredited schools. Students participating in the Exchange program will take part in the J-1 visa, while students enrolled in either a profession or non-academic program will take the M-1 visa.
Last year, around 1.1 million international students were in the United States. This is an essential source of income for tuition-driven universities. International students are not eligible for federal financial aid. Often they pay in full.
With over 20,000 international students, Northeastern University has set up a “contingency plan” for those who have hit a visa delay, spokesman Renata Nür said.
“This is a very dynamic situation and we are closely monitoring development in real time to assess potential impacts,” she said.
The US plans to review more in-depth social media for visa applicants
Visa applicants have had to provide the Department of State with a social media handle since 2019. Cables did not show the type of additional scrutiny the new guidelines cover, but suggested that the new reviews could be more resource intensive.
Additional jury will prevent students from coming to the United States, said Jonathan Friedman of Penn America, a literary, free-forming organization.
“The details remain vague, but this policy risks covering longtime US places as a beacon for intellectual and cultural exchange with the world,” Friedman said.
The move to cut off international registration with Harvard University stems from a dispute with the Department of Homeland Security. Foreign students It may involve them in violence and protests that could lead to their deportation. Harvard says it complied with the record request, but the agency said it lacked response.
On Wednesday, Trump said more scrutiny of Harvard students was needed.
“They are taking people from areas of the very radical world, and they don’t want them to have trouble in our country,” Trump said.
The Trump administration cut Harvard’s $2.6 billion federal grants as it presses demands for changes in policy and governance at Ivy League schools, which the president described as a hotbed of liberal and anti-Semitism. Harvard was pushed back and filed a lawsuit against the administration.
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Associated Press writers Sun Kim of Washington and Jocelyn Jecker of San Francisco contributed to the report.
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