Latest news with #HarvardUniversity
The Print
34 minutes ago
- Politics
- The Print
‘Everything at stake' for Indian students as US pauses visa interviews amid social media vetting plan
This development is the latest in a series of crackdowns by the Trump administration on international students. Last week, the administration ordered a halt to the enrolment of new international students at Harvard University. However, a federal judge has temporarily blocked the move. A Delhi-based student, who has an interview at the US Embassy this week, called the reports 'a nightmare'. 'Everything is at stake at this moment. Although my interview is on so far, I do not know how things will proceed amid so much uncertainty,' the student said, speaking to ThePrint on condition of anonymity. New Delhi: Recent reports that the Donald Trump-led United States administration has asked embassies to 'pause scheduling new interviews for student visa applicants' are creating unease among thousands of Indian students set to join US universities this year. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio signed a diplomatic cable Tuesday, asking embassies and consular sections to pause scheduling new student visa interviews, Politico reported. The cable reportedly cited potential plans to require all foreign student applicants to undergo social media vetting. However, so far, there is no official order confirming the policy. During a press conference later in the evening Tuesday, Tammy Bruce, the spokesperson of the US Department of State, commented that the news reports on the decision likely came from 'leaked material'. However, Bruce emphasised, 'Every sovereign country has a right to know who is trying to come in, why they want to come in, who they are, what they have been doing, and at least hopefully within that framework determine what they will be doing while they are here.' If the Trump administration proceeds with the plan, student visa processing may face indefinite delays, potentially causing financial challenges for numerous universities that rely extensively on international students for funds. An Open Doors Report showed US institutes enrolled 3,31,602 Indian students in the 2023-24 academic year, making India the largest source of international students flocking to the US. Of the 1,126,690 international students in the US, 29.4 percent are Indian students. Another Indian student aiming for postgraduate studies at an Ivy League university this year also has an upcoming interview at the embassy. Mixed news is pouring in from his peers, giving him significant anxiety. 'A Bangladeshi student's visa was approved, but that is just one case. Everyone else has had their visas put on hold or rejected,' he said, requesting anonymity. He said that he has so far paid nearly $1,500 in application fees, college acceptance fees, SEVIS (Student and Exchange Visitor Information System) fees, and visa application fees. 'Besides, the tuition fee is nearly $101,200 per year, and I am yet to pay it,' the student said. 'All of it feels like a complete waste of time at this moment.' Students generally pay tuition fees after joining the university and, before that, the college acceptance fees. Also Read: IMF growth outlook is cautiously optimistic. It seems to leave out impact of larger disruptions in US Concerns over social media vetting The Politico report cites a cable stating, 'Effective immediately, in preparation for an expansion of required social media screening and vetting, consular sections should not add any additional student or exchange visitor (F, M, and J) visa appointment capacity until further guidance is issued via a 'septel', which we anticipate in the coming days.' The term 'septel' is state department shorthand for 'separate telegram'. The cable reportedly does not specify what future social media vetting would screen for. However, it references executive orders on checking terrorism and antisemitism, according to Politico. Students are very apprehensive about the upcoming social media vetting policy. A student at Harvard Kennedy School told ThePrint that a senior who returned to the US days ago had to pass a thorough vetting at the airport, including a search of his phone. 'Right now, we do not know which social media likes or comments will get you into trouble. The policy announcement is pending,' the student said during a phone interview, requesting anonymity. However, Shreya Mishra Reddy, an Indian student enrolled in a leadership development programme at Harvard Business School, stated in a post on LinkedIn that extensive social media screenings for all international students will become part of the process. 'Currently, the departments concerned are conducting a review of existing operations and processes for screening and vetting of student and exchange visitor visa applicants. The freeze is a further escalation from current screening measures, which have primarily targeted students who participated in pro-Palestinian campus protests,' she said. Uncertainty despite long, rigorous admission According to consultants and students, the entire process of admission to a good college in the US may take years of hard work. Sakshi Mittal, the founder of the education consultancy University Leap, said that students work tirelessly for four years to secure admission to top universities. 'Parents and students invest heavily in SAT preparations, taking coaching classes, and participating in extracurricular activities. For many who finally achieved their dream, the hope of studying in the US feels uncertain now,' Mittal said. 'Some of our students have already secured visa interview slots and received their visas, but others on waitlists or recently admitted are extremely stressed. Many had not applied to alternative universities and are now rushing to apply last-minute to universities in the UK and other countries,' she added. 'On average, parents spend between Rs two crore and four crore for an undergraduate programme at a top U.S. university.' Mittal also advised some students to defer their admissions if the decision is irreversible, adding that she is hoping for a reversal of the decision soon. A student set to join a law course at a reputed US university described the visa process as lengthy. She explained that after a US college accepts a student, the student receives a Form I-20 or Form DS-2019 to apply for an F-1 or a J-1 visa, respectively. Then, pay the SEVIS fee and complete the online DS-160 visa application form. Then, schedule a visa interview at the nearest US Embassy or Consulate and prepare all necessary documents. These include the passport, I-20 or DS-2019, DS-160 confirmation, SEVIS fee receipt, university admission and invitation letters, financial proof, and academic records. 'The visa appointment happens in two steps—first, the biometric, and then, the actual interview on a separate date. My biometrics are complete. I am anxious and uncertain about my interview scheduled for next week. But I believe that, as with all other decisions of the Trump administration, this will also be revoked, or reverted,' she said, requesting anonymity. (Edited by Madhurita Goswami) Also Read: US pushes for direct India-Pakistan talks, 'dealmaker' Trump ready to aid 'pursuit of peace'
Al Arabiya
36 minutes ago
- Business
- Al Arabiya
US vows to ‘aggressively' oust Chinese students
President Donald Trump's administration on Wednesday vowed to 'aggressively' revoke visas of Chinese students, one of the largest sources of revenue for American universities, in his latest broadside against US higher education. The announcement by Secretary of State Marco Rubio marked a show of defiance after China criticized his decision a day earlier to suspend visa appointments for students worldwide at least temporarily. The Trump administration has already sought to end permission for all international students at Harvard University, which has rebuffed pressure from the president related to student protests. The United States will 'aggressively revoke visas for Chinese students, including those with connections to the Chinese Communist Party or studying in critical fields,' Rubio said in a statement. 'We will also revise visa criteria to enhance scrutiny of all future visa applications from the People's Republic of China and Hong Kong,' he said. Young Chinese people have long been crucial to US universities, which rely on international students paying full tuition. China sent 277,398 students in the 2023–24 academic year, although India for the first time in years surpassed it, according to a State Department–backed report of the Institute of International Education. Trump in his previous term also took aim at Chinese students but focused attention on those in sensitive fields or with explicit links with the military. It was unclear to what extent Rubio's statement marked an escalation. China's foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning on Wednesday said Beijing urged Washington to 'safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of international students, including those from China.' Rubio has already trumpeted the revocation of thousands of visas, largely to international students who were involved in activism critical of Israel. A cable signed by Rubio on Tuesday ordered US embassies and consulates not to allow 'any additional student or exchange visa... appointment capacity until further guidance is issued' on ramping up screening of applicants' social media accounts. The measures also threaten to pressure students from countries friendly to the United States. In Taiwan, a PhD student set to study in California complained of 'feeling uncertain' by the visa pause. 'I understand the process may be delayed but there is still some time before the semester begins in mid-August,' said the 27-year-old student who did not want to be identified. 'All I can do now is wait and hope for the best.' Protests at Harvard Trump is furious at Harvard for rejecting his administration's push for oversight on admissions and hiring, amid the president's claims the school is a hotbed of anti-Semitism and 'woke' liberal ideology. A judge paused the order to bar foreign students pending a hearing scheduled for Thursday, the same day as the university's graduation ceremony for which thousands of students and their families had gathered in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The White House has also stripped Harvard, as well as other US universities widely considered among the world's most elite, of federal funding for research. 'The president is more interested in giving that taxpayer money to trade schools and programs and state schools where they are promoting American values, but most importantly, educating the next generation based on skills that we need in our economy and our society,' White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Fox News. Some Harvard students were worried that the Trump administration's policies would make US universities less attractive to international students. 'I don't know if I'd pursue a PhD here. Six years is a long time,' said Jack, a history of medicine student from Britain who is graduating this week and gave only a first name. Harvard has filed extensive legal challenges against Trump's measures.
Time of India
an hour ago
- General
- Time of India
Harvard settles lawsuit over enslaved ancestor images
Harvard University (File photo) NEW YORK: Harvard University has agreed to settle a deeply emotional dispute over who has the rights to images of enslaved Africans taken in 1850 by a professor who sought to support a racist theory. The daguerrotypes, a precursor to modern photographs, are considered to be the earliest known images of Black American slaves, who were posed nude and semi-nude "without consent, dignity or compensation," a 2019 lawsuit stated. The Cambridge institution has agreed to relinquish the images and has offered plaintiff Tamara Lanier a confidential monetary settlement. Lanier says she is a descendant of a slave known only by his first name, Renty, who was photographed nude, and his daughter Delia, who was photographed nude from the waist up, in images commissioned by Harvard biologist Louis Agassiz as supposed evidence of Black inferiority. The images were taken in South Carolina, and Lanier is advocating for them to be transferred to the International African American Museum there. Lanier accused the university of using them for advertising and commercial purposes, and denounced the use of Renty's image on a cover of a $40 anthropology book it published in 2017. "Since Black Americans were first brought to this country in chains, our pain and trauma have been exploited for capitalistic gain," said Lanier. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like IIMK Strategic Management IIMK ASMP Apply Now Undo Lanier claimed rights to the images 15 years ago, but Harvard has long-disputed the claim that she is Renty's great-great-great-granddaughter. "As descendants of slaves, familial history and well-documented genealogy are a luxury that many Black Americans do not have," Lanier said, who relied on her family's oral history to determine the connection in lineage. In a statement on the settlement, Harvard said they have "long been eager" to steward "the daguerrotypes in a responsible manner." In his time Agassiz, a Swiss-born biologist, was a renowned scientist who worked in geology. But Lanier's attorney Ben Crump said Agassiz also supported polygenism, which was "used to justify both the ongoing enslavement of Black people prior to the Civil War and their segregation afterward." The daguerrotypes were in the possession of Harvard's Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology to date. "Harvard played a role in the darkest chapter in American history," Lanier said. "This is a small step in the right direction towards fully acknowledging that history and working to rectify it." The stain of Agassiz's work has been controversial elsewhere, too. He had an elementary school named after him near Harvard -- but local residents successfully demanded the name be changed to honor a long-serving Black principal Maria Louise Baldwin in 2002, citing his scientific racism.
Asahi Shimbun
an hour ago
- Business
- Asahi Shimbun
U.S. says it will start revoking visas for Chinese students
Students attend Columbia University commencement ceremony on Columbia's main campus, in Manhattan, New York City, U.S., May 21, 2025. (REUTERS) WASHINGTON--U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on Wednesday the United States will start 'aggressively' revoking visas of Chinese students, including those with connections to the Chinese Communist Party or studying in critical fields. If applied to a broad segment of the hundreds of thousands of Chinese university students in the United States, the move could disrupt a major source of income for American schools and a crucial pipeline of talent for U.S. technology companies. President Donald Trump's administration has sought to ramp up deportations and revoke student visas as part of wide-ranging efforts to fulfill its hardline immigration agenda. In a statement, Rubio said the State Department will also revise visa criteria to enhance scrutiny of all future visa applications from China and Hong Kong. 'The U.S. State Department will work with the Department of Homeland Security to aggressively revoke visas for Chinese students,' he said. The Chinese Embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment. China's foreign ministry previously vowed to 'firmly safeguard the legitimate rights and interests' of its students overseas, following the Trump administration's move to revoke Harvard University's ability to enroll foreign students, many of whom are Chinese. China is also at the epicenter of Trump's global trade war that has roiled financial markets, upended supply chains and fueled risks of a sharp worldwide economic downturn. The decision to cancel Chinese student visas comes despite a recent pause in the U.S.-China trade dispute. International students - India and China together accounting for 54% of them - contributed more than $50 billion to the U.S. economy in 2023, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce. UNIVERSITY TIES TO CHINA UNDER SCRUTINY The State Department has broad authority to issue and revoke visas. The administration last week cited Harvard University's ties to China as among several reasons for revoking its ability to enroll foreign students, a move temporarily blocked by a U.S. judge. Rubio's statement did not offer details on how extensively the visa revocations would be applied. Even a relatively small number could disrupt the flow of Chinese students seeking out higher education in the U.S. that began in the late 1970s from Communist-governed China. Recent decades saw the United States become the destination of choice for many Chinese students looking for an alternative to China's intensely competitive university system and drawn to the strong reputation of U.S. schools. Those students typically come from wealthier families able to afford the high cost of U.S. universities. Many of those have stayed after graduating and have been credited with contributing to American research capacity and the U.S. workforce. The number of Chinese students in the U.S. dropped to about 277,000 in 2024, however, from a high of around 370,000 in 2019, pulled lower by growing tension between the world's two biggest economies, heightened U.S. government scrutiny of Chinese students, and the COVID-19 pandemic. As the U.S.-China geopolitical rivalry has escalated into what many analysts consider a new form of cold war, U.S. agencies and Congress have stepped up scrutiny of China's state-sponsored influence and technology transfers at American colleges and universities. Washington has become increasingly concerned that Beijing uses open and federally funded research environments in the U.S. to circumvent export controls and other national security laws. Greater scrutiny and uncertainty over visas has led more Chinese students to opt for schools in Europe, and more graduates now return to China to ply their trades. Yaqiu Wang, a U.S.-based human rights researcher who came to the U.S. from China as a student, said Beijing had indeed taken advantage of U.S. academic openness to engage in espionage and intellectual property theft, but called Rubio's announcement 'deeply concerning.' 'Broad revocations and blanket bans would not only jeopardize the rights and livelihoods of Chinese students studying and working in the U.S. but also risk undermining America's long-standing position as the global leader in scientific innovation,' she said. During Trump's first administration, then Secretary of State Mike Pompeo led a drive to rid U.S. university campuses of Chinese government-funded Confucius Institute cultural centers, saying they worked to advance China's 'global propaganda and malign influence' and to recruit 'spies and collaborators.' As a result, many U.S. institutions cut ties with the centers. On Tuesday, Reuters reported the U.S. Department of State had halted new appointments for all foreign student and exchange visitor visa applicants, according to an internal cable. The Trump administration has expanded social media vetting of foreign students and is seeking to ramp up deportations and revoke student visas as part of wide-ranging efforts to fulfill its hardline immigration agenda.
Time of India
an hour ago
- Politics
- Time of India
‘We don't want shopping centres exploding': Trump says foreign students at Harvard could be 'troublemakers'
US President Donald Trump has renewed his criticism of Harvard University , demanding that the prestigious institution cap its foreign student intake at 15 per cent. He alleged that Harvard, which he claims admits almost 31 per cent international students, allows in individuals from "very radicalised" regions, some of whom he labelled as "troublemakers". 'We don't want to see shopping centres explode. We don't want to see the kind of riots that you had,' Trump said during a press conference. 'Many of those students didn't go anywhere, many of those students were troublemakers caused by the radical left.' According to Harvard's website, international students currently account for 27.2% of its student body. However, Trump insisted that number was still too high. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Canada is looking for skilled immigrants - New job opportunities are waiting for you! Canada Immigration Express Apply Now Undo — ANI (@ANI) (Join our ETNRI WhatsApp channel for all the latest updates) 'Harvard has to show us their lists' The president has also demanded more transparency from Harvard about the backgrounds of its foreign students. 'Harvard has to show us their lists,' he said. 'We want to know where those students come from, whether they are troublemakers, and what countries they come from... You're going to see some very radical people.' Live Events He continued, 'I want to make sure that foreign students are people that can love our country... We have people that want to go to Harvard and other schools but they can't get in because we have foreign students there.' Trump cited a specific example from the UK. 'So I saw yesterday that in the middle of the UK, there was a nice young man who wants to go back to school at Harvard, and he looked good to me. But I want to check his passport. These countries aren't helping us; they're not investing in Harvard, and we are.' Also Read: US to revoke visas of Chinese students linked to Chinese Communist Party or critical fields, Marco Rubio announces Visa restrictions and funding cuts Trump's remarks come as the State Department has ordered US embassies to pause new student visa appointments. This follows a broader push by the Trump administration to reduce international enrolments at elite institutions like Harvard. The administration has also taken steps to strip Harvard of billions in federal funding, alleging it has failed to address anti-Semitism and has promoted divisive ideological agendas. 'Harvard has been a disaster. They've taken $5 billion+... And by the way, they're totally anti-Semitic at Harvard, and some other colleges too,' Trump said. He went on, 'Every time they fight, they lose another $250 million... I think this is what everyone's coming up to me saying, we love the idea of trade schools with that kind of money... They can only be used for trade schools, and they'll teach people how to build AI.' Harvard pushes back in Court In response, Harvard has mounted a legal challenge. The university filed a lawsuit in federal court, arguing that the Trump administration's decision to revoke its certification under the Student and Exchange Visitor Program was 'clear retaliation' for refusing the government's policy demands. Harvard described the move as unlawful and warned it "imperils the futures of thousands of students and scholars." A federal judge has since granted a temporary halt to the ban on international enrolments. The university also denied claims of ideological bias, asserting that it had broadly refused requests to hand over the full conduct records of foreign students and allow federal audits of 'viewpoint diversity.' Also Read: Trump administration halts new student visa interviews, causing anxiety among Indian aspirants Trump warns: 'Harvard's got to behave' Asked how he sees the conflict with Harvard ending, Trump replied, 'I don't know. Harvard's got to behave themselves. I'm looking out for the country and for Harvard. I want Harvard to do well, I want Harvard to be great again.' This standoff is part of a wider campaign by Trump to reshape higher education policy. His administration has increasingly targeted universities over issues such as support for pro-Palestinian protests, climate programmes, and diversity initiatives. Harvard remains at the centre of the storm.
