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CNN
25-06-2025
- Business
- CNN
The unique visa hurdles NBA draft prospect Khaman Maluach will face when traveling for road trips
When the US State Department announced on April 5 that it would be revoking all existing visas for South Sudanese citizens, it threw into uncertainty the lives of every national living in the United States. One of those citizens is basketball player Khaman Maluach, who at the time of the announcement had just declared for the 2025 NBA draft after leaving Duke. Maluach – a towering, rim-protecting center at 7 feet, 2 inches – is widely expected to be a lottery pick in Wednesday's draft, with his dynamism on defense and high ceiling making him an exciting prospect for several NBA teams. While there may be obstacles and red tape, Maluach's path to the NBA is certainly navigable. After signing with Duke, Maluach obtained an F1 visa, the standard student visa that has been on pause since May, but has now returned to a tourist visa as he awaits the NBA draft, CNN Sports understands. If drafted by one of the league's 29 American teams, Maluach will move onto a P1 visa, a professional athlete visa. A significant portion of the NBA's international players remain on P1 visas over long-term careers. If drafted by the Toronto Raptors, however, Maluach would not be given a P1 visa, but would need a B1 business visa to go in and out of the US, CNN Sports understands. In Canada, he would likely be on an O1 visa for foreign nationals with 'extraordinary ability.' If, for example, Maluach is drafted for a team in the Eastern Conference and has two road trips to Toronto in a season, he would need a waiver and a new visa each time he reenters the US. But if drafted to the Raptors, CNN Sports understands that Maluach would need a new B1 visa and waiver for every road trip back into the United States. Though Maluach will be the only player in the league to face these types of significant logistical hurdles, including having to appear in person to obtain a new visa, this type of complex situation is not necessarily unique. Former NBA center Enes Kanter didn't have a valid travel document for three years in between his Turkish passport being cancelled and receiving US citizenship, but he was able to travel to Canada due to ongoing conversations between the league and US and Canadian authorities. A US State Department spokesperson said they do not comment on specific cases but in a statement to CNN said: 'In accordance with the April 5 decision made by Secretary (Marco) Rubio, the Department took appropriate steps to revoke visas held by South Sudanese passport holders. 'South Sudanese passport holders who were notified of their visa revocation are not required to depart the United States before their Admit Until Date. Any future travel to the United States will require a new visa application. 'We will continue to make decisions regarding visa services around the world in a way that prioritizes upholding the highest standards for U.S. national security and public safety.' The Raptors said they do not comment on the team's draft plans. CNN has reached out to the South Sudanese embassy for comment. Born in the town of Rumbek, Maluach and his family fled to neighboring Uganda when the center was a boy due to conflict in South Sudan. When he was 13, Maluach recalls a motorcyclist stopping him in the street to give him some prescient advice. 'He was like: 'Yo, you should start playing basketball. In three to four years, you'll be such a tall person,'' Maluach told Incredibly, Maluach says he only picked up a basketball for the first time when he was 13 or 14, and not long after the quip from the motorcyclist he attended a basketball camp organized by South Sudanese former NBA player Luol Deng. 'I just went to a camp and saw a lot of tall people who were happy and I was like: 'This is where I belong,'' a smiling Maluach told reporters back in May. 'I came back the next day and I picked up a basketball.' By the time the camp came around the following year, Maluach said he was already one of the tallest there. Troy Justice, NBA senior vice president and head of international basketball operations, oversees the league's global grassroots programs and recalled the first time he saw Maluach in a WhatsApp video sent to him by a scout at the NBA Academy Africa. 'It's like a young, 14-year-old, tall boy that's not played basketball that we believe can have high potential,' Justice tells CNN of the scout's assessment. 'And he comes from a great family, so we really believe that he's a perfect fit for the academy program.' It became evident pretty quickly that the academy had a special talent on its hands. Brendan McKillop, the NBA associate vice president who oversees the academy, marveled at how somebody who had never previously picked up a basketball could look so at ease on the court. 'His size and length are unmistakable when you see him for the first time,' McKillop tells CNN. 'The thing that jumped out to me the most was probably his fluidity. 'A lot of young kids who have never played the sport really don't know how to move, but he just had this natural ability; he had touch, he had great hands, and he just knew how to move well on a basketball court. And you could just see that he was going to get it.' Maluach was named MVP and Defensive Player of the Basketball Without Borders Africa program that the NBA runs and has in recent seasons been a part of the Elevate program that places one NBA Academy Africa prospect on each of the 12 Basketball Africa League (BAL) teams. In 2023, Maluach started for Senegalese team AS Douanes in the Finals of the BAL, the league co-founded in 2019 by the NBA and FIBA, basketball's international governing body. His rise continued in 2024 when he represented South Sudan, the world's youngest country, at the Paris Olympics. Maluach was the youngest player at the tournament. While the 18-year-old undoubtedly has the physical attributes to succeed at the highest level, Justice said it's Maluach's mentality that has set him apart. 'It's his ability to listen and learn,' Justice explains. 'He consumes everything he's given, whether by the coaching staff with the strength and conditioning coach at the academy. He's a ready learner, constantly learning, constantly growing, constantly changing, constantly evolving and putting in work. 'He has the habits of a pro. He learned those at the academy, but he also came to us with a special character that allows him to be hungry.' Those sentiments are echoed by McKillop, who calls Maluach 'an incredibly unique and special kid.' 'He also brings to the table an incredible work ethic, an incredible attitude, leadership, desire to be great, and humility,' McKillop adds. More than anything, though, McKillop was taken by the way the young man interacts with the people who have helped him on his path. 'He's never forgotten how lucky he is,' McKillop says. 'He's always the first one to say thank you. If our staff, who he sees maybe two three times a year, see him at an event or something, he knows all of our names and greets us by name. 'We're thrilled that he has this opportunity in front of him.'
CNN
25-06-2025
- Business
- CNN
The unique visa hurdles NBA draft prospect Khaman Maluach will face when traveling for road trips
When the US State Department announced on April 5 that it would be revoking all existing visas for South Sudanese citizens, it threw into uncertainty the lives of every national living in the United States. One of those citizens is basketball player Khaman Maluach, who at the time of the announcement had just declared for the 2025 NBA draft after leaving Duke. Maluach – a towering, rim-protecting center at 7 feet, 2 inches – is widely expected to be a lottery pick in Wednesday's draft, with his dynamism on defense and high ceiling making him an exciting prospect for several NBA teams. While there may be obstacles and red tape, Maluach's path to the NBA is certainly navigable. After signing with Duke, Maluach obtained an F1 visa, the standard student visa that has been on pause since May, but has now returned to a tourist visa as he awaits the NBA draft, CNN Sports understands. If drafted by one of the league's 29 American teams, Maluach will move onto a P1 visa, a professional athlete visa. A significant portion of the NBA's international players remain on P1 visas over long-term careers. If drafted by the Toronto Raptors, however, Maluach would not be given a P1 visa, but would need a B1 business visa to go in and out of the US, CNN Sports understands. In Canada, he would likely be on an O1 visa for foreign nationals with 'extraordinary ability.' If, for example, Maluach is drafted for a team in the Eastern Conference and has two road trips to Toronto in a season, he would need a waiver and a new visa each time he reenters the US. But if drafted to the Raptors, CNN Sports understands that Maluach would need a new B1 visa and waiver for every road trip back into the United States. Though Maluach will be the only player in the league to face these types of significant logistical hurdles, including having to appear in person to obtain a new visa, this type of complex situation is not necessarily unique. Former NBA center Enes Kanter didn't have a valid travel document for three years in between his Turkish passport being cancelled and receiving US citizenship, but he was able to travel to Canada due to ongoing conversations between the league and US and Canadian authorities. A US State Department spokesperson said they do not comment on specific cases but in a statement to CNN said: 'In accordance with the April 5 decision made by Secretary (Marco) Rubio, the Department took appropriate steps to revoke visas held by South Sudanese passport holders. 'South Sudanese passport holders who were notified of their visa revocation are not required to depart the United States before their Admit Until Date. Any future travel to the United States will require a new visa application. 'We will continue to make decisions regarding visa services around the world in a way that prioritizes upholding the highest standards for U.S. national security and public safety.' The Raptors said they do not comment on the team's draft plans. CNN has reached out to the South Sudanese embassy for comment. Born in the town of Rumbek, Maluach and his family fled to neighboring Uganda when the center was a boy due to conflict in South Sudan. When he was 13, Maluach recalls a motorcyclist stopping him in the street to give him some prescient advice. 'He was like: 'Yo, you should start playing basketball. In three to four years, you'll be such a tall person,'' Maluach told Incredibly, Maluach says he only picked up a basketball for the first time when he was 13 or 14, and not long after the quip from the motorcyclist he attended a basketball camp organized by South Sudanese former NBA player Luol Deng. 'I just went to a camp and saw a lot of tall people who were happy and I was like: 'This is where I belong,'' a smiling Maluach told reporters back in May. 'I came back the next day and I picked up a basketball.' By the time the camp came around the following year, Maluach said he was already one of the tallest there. Troy Justice, NBA senior vice president and head of international basketball operations, oversees the league's global grassroots programs and recalled the first time he saw Maluach in a WhatsApp video sent to him by a scout at the NBA Academy Africa. 'It's like a young, 14-year-old, tall boy that's not played basketball that we believe can have high potential,' Justice tells CNN of the scout's assessment. 'And he comes from a great family, so we really believe that he's a perfect fit for the academy program.' It became evident pretty quickly that the academy had a special talent on its hands. Brendan McKillop, the NBA associate vice president who oversees the academy, marveled at how somebody who had never previously picked up a basketball could look so at ease on the court. 'His size and length are unmistakable when you see him for the first time,' McKillop tells CNN. 'The thing that jumped out to me the most was probably his fluidity. 'A lot of young kids who have never played the sport really don't know how to move, but he just had this natural ability; he had touch, he had great hands, and he just knew how to move well on a basketball court. And you could just see that he was going to get it.' Maluach was named MVP and Defensive Player of the Basketball Without Borders Africa program that the NBA runs and has in recent seasons been a part of the Elevate program that places one NBA Academy Africa prospect on each of the 12 Basketball Africa League (BAL) teams. In 2023, Maluach started for Senegalese team AS Douanes in the Finals of the BAL, the league co-founded in 2019 by the NBA and FIBA, basketball's international governing body. His rise continued in 2024 when he represented South Sudan, the world's youngest country, at the Paris Olympics. Maluach was the youngest player at the tournament. While the 18-year-old undoubtedly has the physical attributes to succeed at the highest level, Justice said it's Maluach's mentality that has set him apart. 'It's his ability to listen and learn,' Justice explains. 'He consumes everything he's given, whether by the coaching staff with the strength and conditioning coach at the academy. He's a ready learner, constantly learning, constantly growing, constantly changing, constantly evolving and putting in work. 'He has the habits of a pro. He learned those at the academy, but he also came to us with a special character that allows him to be hungry.' Those sentiments are echoed by McKillop, who calls Maluach 'an incredibly unique and special kid.' 'He also brings to the table an incredible work ethic, an incredible attitude, leadership, desire to be great, and humility,' McKillop adds. More than anything, though, McKillop was taken by the way the young man interacts with the people who have helped him on his path. 'He's never forgotten how lucky he is,' McKillop says. 'He's always the first one to say thank you. If our staff, who he sees maybe two three times a year, see him at an event or something, he knows all of our names and greets us by name. 'We're thrilled that he has this opportunity in front of him.'
Al Jazeera
28-05-2025
- Business
- Al Jazeera
US pauses new student visas: What it means and who it will affect
United States President Donald Trump's administration has ordered its embassies abroad to stop scheduling new visa interview appointments for students and exchange visitors, according to an internal cable seen by news agencies on Tuesday. In the memo, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that the pause is in place because the State Department plans to expand the screening of student applicants' social media. Here is all we know about what this pause could mean. Rubio signed a cable, obtained by multiple news agencies, asking US embassies all over the world to pause new visa interviews for foreign students. The cable says: 'The Department is conducting a review of existing operations and processes for screening and vetting of student and exchange visitor (F, M, J) visa applicants, and based on that review, plans to issue guidance on expanded social media vetting for all such applicants. 'Effective immediately, in preparation for an expansion of required social media screening and vetting, consulate sections should not add any additional student or exchange visitor visa appointment capacity.' Most international students hold the F-1 student visa. The J-1 visa is granted to students in exchange or scholarship programmes such as the Fulbright fellowship; professors participating in exchange programmes; and interns. The M-1 visa is granted to students participating in training programmes in the US. A US official told The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity that the halt is temporary and does not apply to students who have already scheduled their visa interviews. It is unclear how long the halt is for. Tammy Bruce, a spokesperson for the US State Department, declined to comment on reports of the memo, but she told reporters at a regular news briefing that the US will utilise 'every tool' to screen anyone who wants to enter the country. 'We will continue to use every tool we can to assess who it is that's coming here, whether they are students or otherwise,' Bruce said on Tuesday. During the 2023-2024 academic year, the number of international students in US institutions grew to an all-time high of 1.13 million, according to the annual Open Doors report from the Institute of International Education (IIE) and the US State Department. This number marks a 6.6 percent increase in the number of international students enrolled in US colleges and universities from the year before. According to the Open Doors report, 71.5 percent of the international students enrolled in the US between 2023 and 2024 were from Asia. India was the top source, with 331,602 students from the country enrolled in US universities. Following India was China, which sent 277,398 students to the US. In third place is South Korea, which sent 43,149 students to the US. Europe sent 90,600 students to the US, making up 8 percent of the international student population. Amid a wider standoff with Harvard, the Trump administration revoked the university's approval for enrolling international students last week. Harvard currently has 6,800 international students who account for about 27 percent of its student population. International students make up similar proportions of the campus population at other major universities. At Yale, Northwestern University and New York University, 22 percent of the student body comes from outside the US. The number is higher at the University of Rochester, where international students constitute 30 percent of the total student body. According to the Open Doors report, NYU had 27,247 international students between 2023 and 2024, the highest of US universities. Northeastern University was in second place with 21,023 international students and Columbia University came in third with 20,321 students. It is unclear how many students hoping to join academic programmes at US universities this fall (autumn) will be affected by the pause that the State Department is instituting, per the memo. Most US universities announce admissions decisions by late March or early April. Fulbright announces their final decisions on a rolling basis between March to June. Students typically apply for their student visa after they receive their admissions decision. It takes anywhere between a few weeks to a few months for applicants to receive their visas after submitting their applications. The US State Department website says that F-1 student visas can be issued up to 365 days before the start date of the programme, but students can only enter no more than 30 days before the start date. It is unclear whether or not the pause will affect students already in the US who need their visas extended or renewed. The F-1 student visa is typically granted for a five-year period and the renewal process is the same as the application process, where applicants need to fill out an online form and schedule an interview at a US embassy outside the US. While undergraduate programmes are typically four years long, PhDs can range from three to eight years. Many PhD scholars therefore need to renew their US visa in the middle of their programme. International students finishing one degree and applying for another degree in the US, such as students graduating from a bachelor's degree and applying for a masters, might need to renew their US visa as well. This is the Trump administration's latest step towards cracking down on US universities, particularly international students who showed support for Palestinians in Gaza over the past year. In early March, Ranjani Srinivasan, 37, a PhD candidate in urban planning at Columbia University, had her student visa revoked by the US State Department. Her visa was valid until 2029. Speaking to Al Jazeera later in March, Srinivasan said that she was targeted for her speech and limited social media activity. On her social media, she had posted and shared content critical of Israel's actions in Gaza. Additionally, she had signed several open letters supporting Palestinian rights. Srinivasan said she was never part of any organised campus group and while she was a part of pro-Palestine protests in the past, she was not present in the US in April 2024, when the campus encampments were rattling the Columbia campus. 'If supporting the idea of human rights or ending a genocide is equated with supporting Hamas, then anyone in proximity to me – without me having done anything – can just be picked up and made an example of,' Srinivasan told Al Jazeera.
Khaleej Times
27-05-2025
- Business
- Khaleej Times
Tetr College of Business opens new doors by fully funding Harvard F-1 visa students
Recently, the Trump administration suspended Harvard's ability to enroll international students under the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP), making the legal status of thousands of global scholars uncertain. In response to the situation, Tetr College of Business has announced a landmark initiative to safeguard the future of international students. The leading B-school will offer full scholarships worth $200,000 and fast-track admissions for F-1 visa Harvard University students, impacted by the changes made in Harvard's Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) certification by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). This initiative will expedite eligible students for admission into Tetr's upcoming 2025 cohort, starting August 2025. These students can either join Tetr's Bachelor's program in Management and Technology or the new program in Science and Artificial Intelligence. The price of both programs is approximately $200,000. As a part of Tetr's $10 million global scholarship fund, the scheme aims to support young entrepreneurs and students worldwide. Considering the vast number of international students within Harvard's community, Tetr has showcased its willingness to back affected students, providing a smooth and supportive continuation of their world-class education. Pratham Mittal, the founder of Tetr College of Business, said, 'The thought of any bright, enterprising student having their academic trajectory abruptly halted due to circumstances beyond their control is simply unacceptable. For these exceptional minds at Harvard, we are not just offering free education but providing an impactful launchpad to global entrepreneurship and leadership for the betterment of the world. At Tetr, we will provide them tools, community, and global exposure to realize their immense potential and channel towards creating meaningful impact without the burden of visa anxieties.' Tetr's undergraduate programs are immersive and entrepreneurial. Students study and build businesses across seven countries, including the U.S., India, Singapore, Italy, Ghana, Brazil, and the UAE, over four years. Each semester is in a different geography, blending academic learning with hands-on venture building. Students also have the opportunity to study at partner institutions like the National University of Singapore (NUS), IIT (India), and Cornell University (USA) while receiving mentorship from the esteemed faculty of Harvard, MIT, INSEAD, and Cornell and entrepreneurs from companies like NASA, SoftBank, and Estée Lauder. Tetr's inaugural cohort has demonstrated remarkable success with the completion of two semesters in Dubai and India. In Dubai, students launched dropshipping ventures generating $138,000+ in revenue with average profit margins of 38% in under six months. In India, their Direct-to-Consumer (D2C) startups achieved over $184,000 in revenue at a 30.6% profit margin, with several ventures now entering early funding rounds. Tetr's hands-on models have gained significant interest, with the 2025 cohort receiving over 150,000 applications for around 100 seats. The year-on-year increase is ~50%, making it one of the most selective undergraduate business programs globally. The average SAT score of the current cohort is 1475, and students have previously turned down offers from institutions such as Dartmouth, NYU Stern, UC Berkeley, and King's College London to join Tetr. Application procedure for Harvard students F-1 Visa students currently enrolled at Harvard can send an email to transferadmissions@ with the following information; • A short note outlining their current visa situation • Proof of Harvard enrollment or admission • A brief academic or personal profile Tetr's admissions team will respond to the emails within 72 hours with further instructions and details on a personalized admission process. The offer is time-sensitive and dependent upon seat availability in the upcoming cohort. Students can visit or drop an email to transferadmissions@ for further information. Applications are also welcome from students joining from other institutions under Tetr's Transfer Student Scholarship.
CNN
22-05-2025
- Politics
- CNN
Federal judge blocks Trump administration from ending legal status for foreign students attending US schools
A federal judge on Thursday blocked the Trump administration on nationwide from terminating the legal status that allows foreign students to study at colleges and universities in the US. The preliminary injunction issued by US District Judge Jeffrey White of the federal district court in San Francisco is the latest major blow to the efforts by the administration to target international students as it seeks to carry out President Donald Trump's mass deportation campaign. The case concerns a sweeping maneuver by the administration to tamper with student records – known as SEVIS records – of immigrants who are in the US on education visas, putting them in jeopardy of deportation. Though the administration had backed down on that initiative last month amid numerous legal challenges, White said in his ruling that he 'does not find it speculative to conclude that, in the absence of an injunction (the administration) would abruptly re-terminate SEVIS records without notice.' The SEVIS database, which is operated by the Department of Homeland Security, tracks the immigration status of international students and is used by universities to maintain information about the students' enrollment. In April, the administration began cancelling the records of thousands of international students. The administration's actions, White wrote, 'uniformly wreaked havoc not only on the lives of Plaintiffs here but on similarly situated F-1 nonimmigrants across the United States and continues do so.' The ruling from White, an appointee of former President George W. Bush, came in a series of cases brought by international students whose SEVIS records were changed in a way that they said made their presence in the US illegal. White said the students were likely to prevail on their claim that such actions violated federal rule-making procedures because they were 'arbitrary and capricious.' 'Defendants do not suggest that these individuals pose an immediate safety threat or that they pose a threat to national security,' he wrote. 'In contrast, Plaintiffs have shown that Defendants likely exceeded their authority and acted arbitrarily and capriciously in those enforcement efforts, and the 'public interest is served by compliance with the (Administrative Procedure Act).''
