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Straits Times
28-05-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
‘Is this the end?': Asian students bound for US anxious about visa freeze
Last week, the Department of Homeland Security told Harvard University that it can no longer enrol international students. PHOTO: SOPHIE PARK/NYTIMES 'Is this the end?': Asian students bound for US anxious about visa freeze – Mr Devraj was until recently stressed about securing part-funding for a humanities master's programme at Columbia University, New York. But though the Delhi-based 26-year-old has secured a scholarship that will cover 85 per cent of his tuition, he is unsure if he will get to go to the United States at all. Millions of students across the globe are in a similar bind, now that a new US policy has effectively frozen new student visa applications. A US State Department directive on May 27 ordered embassies to suspend scheduling appointments for student and foreign visitor visas as it prepares to expand social media vetting of such applicants to enhance national security. Issued by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the memo directed US embassies to remove any unfilled appointments from their calendars for students seeking visas, but said those with appointments already scheduled could go ahead. Mr Rubio said the pause would last 'until further guidance is issued'. The move escalates a series of restrictions on international students, amid the US government's wider pressure campaign against top universities in the US. Last week, the Department of Homeland Security told Harvard University that it can no longer enrol international students. This was purportedly to hold the Ivy League school accountable 'for fostering violence, antisemitism, and coordinating with the Chinese Communist Party on its campus'. A judge blocked the policy. In a twist of the knife for international students, the latest policy change could delay visa processing and disrupt enrolment timelines at American universities. Several student applicants in Asia declined The Straits Times' request for comment, citing a 'fear of any consequence s' impacting their visa eligibility. 'A suspension could mean weeks or months, and things may not be resolved before my classes start in August,' said Mr Devraj, whose name has been changed to protect his identity. He was unsure if he should confirm his enrolment by May 31, by paying the university a non-refundable US$1,000 (S$1,290) which is around 83,000 rupees – not a small amount for the middle-class young Indian. Only then would the university issue him an I-20 certificate, which is a prerequisite for student visa application. India is the largest source of international students in the US, with 331,602 studying there in the academic year 2023-24. China comes a close second, with 277,398. These Asian giants together account for a third of foreign students in the US. They are followed by South Korea with 43,149 students, Canada with 28,998, Taiwan with 23,157, and Vietnam with 22,066. Chinese students ask if it is the end In China, students and officials alike were confused and disappointed. Chinese state broadcaster CCTV inquired with the US Embassy in Beijing on May 2 8 , but a staff member said that they have 'yet to receive relevant information', and visa processing was proceeding as usual. Others reported on Chinese social media that slots for student visa interviewees were not available for June and July, although it is unclear whether this was due to the latest development. A higher education career counsellor in an international school in Beijing, who declined to be named, told ST: 'Since early this morning, students have barged into my office and exclaimed: 'Teacher, is this the end for us? What does this policy mean?'' She has students who paid deposits of a few hundred US dollars in May to secure their places in American universities, before they can apply for visas. If they do not get their visa s, they would have to squabble with the universities on whether the deposits can be refunded, she said. While most Chinese students still prefer to pursue their higher education in the US, some of them have already chosen to go to Canada or the United Kingdom instead, she said. 'Those who have shortlisted only American universities can only wait for further information,' she added. China's Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said on May 28: 'China has always believed that normal educational cooperation and academic exchanges should not be disrupted. 'We urge the US side to earnestly safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of students from all countries, including Chinese students.' Social media vetting The introduction of stringent social media checks have raised concerns among prospective students and their families. Mr Rubio had foreshadowed social media restrictions in March after the police arrested Tufts University doctoral student Rümeysa Öztürk over an op-ed she wrote on Gazans. She was later freed on bail as she fights possible deportation. At the time Mr Rubio had said: 'If you apply for a visa to enter the United States and be a student, and you tell us that the reason you are coming to the United States is not just because you want to write op-eds, but because you want to participate in movements that are involved in doing things like vandalising universities, harassing students, taking over buildings, creating a ruckus – we're not going to give you a visa.' Tufts University doctoral student Rümeysa Öztürk is fighting possible deportation. PHOTO: AFP A leaked US State Department diplomatic cable dated March 25 describes a new standard for visa denials based on a broad definition of what constitutes support for 'terrorist activity'. It mandated comprehensive reviews of the social media profiles of all applicants seeking F (academic students), M (vocational students), and J (exchange visitors) visas. Officers must take screenshots of any 'potentially derogatory' content found during these reviews, even if such content is later deleted or altered. These records will be stored in the applicant's case file and may serve as grounds for visa denial. Many like Mr Devraj are hurrying to make their social media accounts private. 'I have no other option. The US government could apply its whims and fancies under vague and broad parameters to deem any of my posts a threat to national security,' said Mr Devraj, adding that he might look to Europe if 'things remain this bad in the US'. China-based consultancies who provide overseas educational application services have also advised Chinese students to remove 'sensitive content' on their social media, including phrases such as 'Gulf of Mexico', 'LGBTQ', 'gender diversity' and 'anti-Semitism'. A prospective Taiwanese student to the US, who declined to be named, told ST that she has yet to secure a visa appointment slot and is now 'very worried' that her application would be affected. The 28-year-old had been looking forward to starting a master's programme in law this August in Texas, where her boyfriend is already studying engineering. However, she is not concerned about the vetting of her social media accounts as she said she is rarely active online. 'If I post anything, which is rare, they're just pictures of food – nothing politically sensitive,' she said. Applicants uncertain, officials try to help On a Korean internet community group of more than 40,000 called Jaws Mom, set up to dispense free advice for parents looking to send their children to the US, the group administrator Kim Seong-jun called the suspension of visa interviews 'shocking news'. He advised the group members to stay calm and wait to see what happens, as the start of the US schools' fall semester is still more than two months away. He also urged members to refrain from criticising the US government on its policies on social media platforms, and to delete such comments if already made. A parent member, in response to Mr Kim's post, shared that her child was supposed to start school in autumn , and had already received the I-20 certificat e . She had not seen the urgency in scheduling a visa appointment with the embassy, and now regrets her decision. 'I have no choice but to wait and see how things progress, but I'm anxious,' she wrote. The South Korean Embassy in the US created an emergency contact network for international students and held several meetings to share the current situation. Earlier, on May 22, the embassy posted a notice regarding the strengthening of US immigration policies and entry screening. In particular, it warned international students residing on student visas that 'if caught engaging in illegal employment or labour activities, it can be considered a serious violation of immigration law'. The Indonesian embassy on May 27 conveyed to the US its 'deep concern over the negative effect' the policy has on Indonesian and other foreign students. The US Embassy in Jakarta reported 8,348 Indonesian students in the US for 2023-2024. Mr Rolliansyah Soemirat, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said in a statement on the sidelines of the Asean Summit on May 27 that 'Indonesian missions in the US are prepared to provide consular assistance to affected Indonesian students'. Dr Sidrotun Naim, a member of the Jakarta-based alumni association Harvard Club of Indonesia, told ST: 'Indonesian students in Harvard face two options in dealing with this situation: They can transfer to another campus in order to retain their legal status in the US, or return to Indonesia. But the situation remains fluid.' Asian universities open doors Since the ban on Harvard enrolment of new international students, some territories are moving swiftly to attract the run-off of top students from the US. The Hong Kong Education Bureau (EDB) called on all universities in Hong Kong 'to introduce facilitation measures for those eligible with a view to safeguarding the legitimate rights and interests of students and scholars' , and to attract top talent in accordance with each institution's diverse admissions and recruitment policies. The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) has invited affected students from any foreign university to make use of its 'robust transfer policies and admission protocols' , streamlined credit transfers and seamless transitions into its programmes, including accommodation arrangements and scholarships. 'On the day the foreign student ban was announced, we were approached by graduating students, alumni, and prospective students currently bound for Harvard – many from Hong Kong and mainland China – who are grappling with profound anxiety about the disruption of their academic journeys,' a HKUST spokesman told ST. Japan has also indicated its willingness to support visa applications for those who may find themselves stranded by US policy directives. Tokyo on May 27 called on its domestic institutions of higher learning to open their doors to students who plan to or have enrolled in US. The top three public universities – University of Tokyo, Kyoto University and Osaka University – have said they are considering the acceptance of students and young researchers of US universities who may be displaced. The only hitch: the Japanese academic year began in April, making it out of step with the US. University of Tokyo president Teruo Fujii told the Nikkei newspaper that the stagnation of higher learning in the US marked a 'crisis for the global academic community'. He added: 'We will work towards expanding, within the year, our acceptance of international students who have difficulty studying or researching overseas due to political interference.' Wait and watch Meanwhile, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi declined comment at a regular news briefing on May 28, saying Tokyo would respond after it gains a 'full understanding' of the matter, including how long appointments for student visa screenings would be paused. Japan is not a top source of foreign students to the US. The weak yen and sluggish economy make costs prohibitive. Still, 13,959 Japanese students and researchers enrolled in US universities for the 2023-24 academic year, including 260 at Harvard. Mr Yusuke Matsuda, the Japan representative of prep school Crimson Education and an adviser to the Education Ministry, urged students who have secured appointments with the US Embassy not to cancel or reschedule their interviews, and to carefully review their public profiles. 'If your interview isn't scheduled, this suspension may cause anxiety, but it is recommended that you wait a few days to a week and see how things go,' he wrote on the online portal Newspicks. Mr Matsuda said it was likely for US universities to eventually band together and seek a class action lawsuit to halt policies that would hurt their enrolment of foreign students , citing precedent in 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic . Mr Trump, in his first term in office, sought to implement a policy that would have forced international students to leave the US if their classes were held entirely online. The authorities rescinded the policy after Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology sued the Trump administration. Mr Andrew Siow, 19, a student enrolled in an American Degree Transfer Programme in Sunway University in Malaysia, had planned to finish his third and fourth year in science engineering at Western Michigan University in the US. 'If this continues, I guess I will have to finish my studies in Malaysia. I really wanted to go there and see the US, maybe visit parts of the country during my semester break. I've always wanted to visit California. I just hope the American government will stop this soon,' said Mr Siow. Some have given up on the US. Indonesian Niwa R Dwitama, 33, told ST that he is considering pursuing his doctoral studies in Britain. Mr Niwa , who holds a master's degree in international affairs from Columbia Universit y , was accepted into Johns Hopkins University in Washington, DC, for his doctoral studies in March. 'With the current US immigration policy and economic uncertainties, being a foreign student in the US poses greater risks and hardships. After all, I will be bringing my family with me during my studies,' he said. In Malaysia, the new directive was the final nail in the coffin for Mrs Liyana Ariff, whose 19-year-old daughter is planning to study data analytics in the US. The 48-year-old engineer told ST that she may send her daughter, a computer science student, to study elsewhere, though 'I know my daughter will be disappointed'. Mrs Liyana had already been 'quite concerned and wary of how the US has been deporting people out of the country'. 'I've read about that lady from Wales who was detained for three weeks even though she was flying out to Canada from Seattle. And she's white. They're also arresting their own citizens. If that can happen to these people, they could do a lot worse to my daughter.' Additional reporting by Stania Puspawardhani, Jakarta Correspondent; Walter Sim, Japan Correspondent; Wendy Teo, South Korea Correspondent; Magdalene Fung, Hong Kong Correspondent; Yip Wai Yee, Taiwan Correspondent and Azril Annuar, Malaysia Correspondent. Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
Harvard sues US over Trump's international student ban
At Harvard, more than a quarter of its total student body, or 6,800 students, come from other countries. PHOTO: SOPHIE PARK/NYTIMES Harvard University sued the Trump administration over its move to block the school from enrolling international students, ratcheting up a high-stakes legal fight with broad implications for higher education in the US. In the lawsuit, which was filed in Massachusetts federal court on May 23, the university said the move violates its First Amendment and due process rights, among others. 'We condemn this unlawful and unwarranted action,' Harvard President Alan Garber said in a statement. 'It imperils the futures of thousands of students and scholars across Harvard and serves as a warning to countless others at colleges and universities throughout the country who have come to America to pursue their education and fulfill their dreams.' The White House, the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Education didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. The Trump administration on May 22 blocked Harvard from enrolling international students, delivering a major blow to the school and escalating its fight with elite colleges to unprecedented levels. The US revoked Harvard's Student and Exchange Visitor program certification, meaning foreign students can no longer attend the university. Existing international students must transfer or lose their legal status, the Department of Homeland Security said on May 22. The school earlier sued several US agencies for blocking federal funds after the government demanded it remake its governance, transform admissions and faculty hiring, stop admitting international students it says are hostile to US values and enforce viewpoint diversity. The government's action has thrust thousands of international students into limbo. Both the suddenness and timing of the move – after acceptance letters for the fall term have been sent out and left current and future attendees struggling to figure out what to do next. The blockade on international student enrollment will compound the financial pressures for Harvard. The Trump administration has frozen more than US$2.6 billion of Harvard's funding and cut off future grants in an increasingly contentious standoff over the school's handling of alleged antisemitism on campus and government demands for more oversight. 'With the stroke of a pen, the government has sought to erase a quarter of Harvard's student body, international students who contribute significantly to the University and its mission,' Harvard wrote in its complaint. Harvard said in the suit that it has been certified by the federal government to enroll international students for more than 70 years. Over that time, it said, it has 'developed programs and degrees tailored to its international students, invested millions to recruit the most talented such students and integrated its international students into all aspects of the Harvard community. Yesterday, the government abruptly revoked that certification without process or cause, to immediate and devastating effect for Harvard and more than 7,000 visa holders.' At Harvard almost 6,800 students - 27 per cent of the entire student body – come from other countries, up from 19.6 per cent in 2006, according to the university's data. Effective immediately, most of Harvard's thousands of enrolled F-1 and J-1 visa students will have little choice but to secure transfer to another school or be rendered without lawful status in the US. Harvard can no longer sponsor those visa holders for its upcoming summer and fall terms, despite having admitted thousands, and countless academic programs, research laboratories, clinics, and courses supported by Harvard's international students have been thrown into disarray. The case is President and Fellows of Harvard College v. Department of Homeland Security, 25-cv-11472, US District Court, District of Massachusetts (Boston). BLOOMBERG Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
How can the US Government stop Harvard from enrolling international students?
At Harvard, more than a quarter of its total student body, or 6,800 students, come from other countries. PHOTO: SOPHIE PARK/NYTIMES How can the US Government stop Harvard from enrolling international students? WASHINGTON - The Trump administration wants to halt Harvard University from enrolling international students. But how can the federal government dictate which students a private university can and cannot enroll? The US government has enormous power over who comes into the US, and who doesn't. For college and universities, the Department of Homeland Security has a vast system just to manage and track the enrollment of the hundreds of thousands of international students studying across the country at any given time. But a school needs government certification to use this database, known as Sevis, for the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System. And this vulnerability is what the Trump administration is exploiting against Harvard. Homeland Security says that effective immediately, it has revoked a certification that allows Harvard to have access to Sevis. Oddly enough, the students may still have valid visas. But Harvard is no longer able to log them into this all-important database. The announcement was a significant escalation in the administration's efforts to pressure Harvard to fall in line with the president's agenda. Here's what we know so far. How does Harvard use the Sevis database? For each international student, Harvard inputs data into Sevis to show that a student is enrolled full time, and thus meeting the terms of the visa that the student was issued. The system is overseen by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, an arm of Homeland Security, which announced the termination May 22. At Harvard, more than a quarter of its total student body, or 6,800 students, come from other countries. How are international students at Harvard affected? The Sevis termination for Harvard would mean that all foreign students at the school would be in limbo. The students would, en masse, become deportable immediately, unless they transferred to another school, or unless a court intervened to block the termination by Homeland Security. Students who took no action to enroll elsewhere would be violating the terms of their status and subject to removal. After graduating, international students have 60 days from the end of their program to leave the United States or adjust their immigration status, by obtaining a job, for example. Students who are returning to university programmes typically can remain in the country during summer breaks because they are still enrolled for the coming term. But if Sevis is terminated for Harvard, it is unclear if students who would otherwise be returning would still be granted the summer grace period. The current spring term at Harvard ends May 26, according to the university's calendar. But don't international students have visas? It does not appear that Homeland Security revoked the student visas of Harvard's international students. That means, in theory, they could leave or stay for the summer. They could go back to their home countries, potentially, and return to attend another school. Much of this is still unclear. What might Harvard do next? Harvard could go to court to try to challenge its Sevis termination. Mr Carl Tobias, an expert on the federal courts at University of Richmond School of Law, said that Harvard would very likely sue in federal court in Massachusetts asserting that the actions of the Homeland Security secretary, Kristi Noem, violated the law by effectively dismantling the university's international program and preventing it from recruiting students from around the globe. 'Harvard will argue that the actions of the secretary are arbitrary and capricious,' Mr Tobias said. 'A court is likely to find that she lacks the power to eliminate its program for international students.' Ms Stacy Tolchin, an immigration lawyer who represents international students, said that the university would have a 'clear case challenge for retaliation from DHS based on First Amendment-protected activities.' NYTIMES Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
Shock at Harvard after US government says international students must go
The end of international enrolment would transform a university where 6,800 students come from other countries. PHOTO: SOPHIE PARK/NYTIMES Shock at Harvard after US government says international students must go WASHINGTON - Just before the Trump administration announced on May 22 that it would bar international students from Harvard University, staff members from the university's International Office met with graduating seniors at the Kennedy School of Government, congratulating them on their degrees – and on surviving the chaos of recent months. Then, within minutes of the meeting's end, news alerts lit up the students' phones. Chaos was breaking out again: Ms Kristi No em, the homeland security secretary, had notified Harvard that its permission to enrol international students was revoked. With that, the degrees and futures of thousands of Harvard students - and an integral piece of the university's identity and culture - were plunged into deep uncertainty. 'There are so many students from all over the world who came to Harvard to make it a better place and to change America and change their home countries for the better,' said Mr Karl Molden, a student from Vienna who had just completed his sophomore year. 'Now it's all at risk of falling apart, which is breaking my heart.' The university has faced rapid-fire aggressions since its president, Dr Alan M. Garbe r, told the Trump administration in April that Harvard would not give in to demands to change its hiring and admissions practices and its curriculum. After the government froze more than US$2 billion (S$2.5 billion) in grants, Harvard filed suit in federal court in Boston. Since then, the administration has gutted the university's research funding, upending budgets and forcing some hard-hit programs to reimagine their scope and mission. The end of international enrolment would transform a university where 6,800 students, more than a quarter of the total, come from other countries, a number that has grown steadily in recent decades. Graduate programs would be hit especially hard. At the Kennedy School, 59 per cent of students come from outside the United States. International students make up 40 per cent of the enrolment at the T.H. Chan School of Public Health and 35 per cent at the Harvard Business School. Because international students do not qualify for federal financial aid, and typically pay more for their education, they contribute disproportionately to the university's revenue, in addition to bringing diverse perspectives that enrich campus life and classroom discussions. 'This will destroy the university as we know it,' said Professor Kirsten Weld, a professor who specialises in Latin American history and the president of the Harvard chapter of the American Association of University Professors. 'Harvard is situated in the United States physically, but its students and faculty hail from all over the world. That is fundamental to the work and mission of the institution. You cannot take that away and have an institution left at the end of it.' Fear and confusion spread quickly on May 22 as international students flooded group message boards with anxious questions and refreshed their email inboxes. Ms Sarah Davis, a second-year Kennedy School student from Australia who is scheduled to graduate next week, said she did not feel fully confident that she would receive her master's degree in public administration if her student visa had been rendered invalid. And even if she does receive her degree, Ms Davis said, it is unlikely that she will be able to stay in the United States for the postgraduate job she has accepted. Her employment is contingent on continued sponsorship by Harvard under the government's Optional Practical Training program, which permits universities to sponsor the visas of international students for as long as three years after they graduate. 'It's incredibly disappointing to have something you've worked so hard for be taken away in an instant,' Ms Davis said, 'and to end up in limbo'. Mr Mold en said he had broken out in a sweat as he read about the administration's action. 'Getting into Harvard was the best thing that has ever happened to me in my life,' he said. 'I can't actually believe that this is happening.' M r Alfred William son, 20, a student from Wales who just completed his freshman year, said that he and many of his international friends had already started to think about transferring to other universities. 'I was messaging a friend from the UK, asking if we could talk about whether we could transfer to Oxford or Cambridge,' Mr Williamson said. 'People are taking this very seriously.' 'Everyone's freaking out,' he added. 'No one knows what to do.' Yet even students who had already begun to consider leaving found themselves overwhelmed by the prospect of quickly finding a spot elsewhere - and by the idea of leaving a place where they had invested so much. 'To watch my dream and those of my international peers be turned into a nightmare is one of the hardest experiences of my life,' Ms Ella Ricketts, a freshman from Canada, said in a text message. 'The thought of leaving the Harvard community - the place where I feel most at home - remains almost impossible to consider.' Canada, China, India, Britain and South Korea are among the countries that send the largest numbers of students to Harvard, according to university data. Ms Ge nia Lukin, a doctoral student from Israel in Harvard's psychology department, said that the Trump administration's latest pressure tactic - deployed, like the rest, in the name of combating antisemitism - would further harm people like her who have experienced antisemitism and anti-Israel bias on Harvard's campus. 'This is not helping,' Ms Lukin said. The new crackdown seemed to throw the future of some programmes into question. Mr Jos e Ignacio Llodra, a student from Chile who is set to graduate next week from the Kennedy School, estimated that 90 per cent of students in his master's programme had come from overseas. 'The program is about how to bring international development to countries around the world - without international students, it doesn't make sense,' Mr Llodra said. 'Many of us came to the US to study because the university system is the best in the world, and this policy might destroy this system.' He said he was lucky that his student visa had been sponsored by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he is about to receive a master's degree in business administration. NYTIMES Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
Trump's attack on Harvard's foreign students targets key revenue for US universities
Because international students are more likely to pay full tuition, they essentially subsidise other students who receive aid. PHOTO: SOPHIE PARK/NYTIMES WASHINGTON - The Trump administration's latest blow against Harvard University – cutting off its ability to enroll foreign students – rippled throughout higher education on May 22, because it aims at a major source of revenue for hundreds of schools across the United States. Because international students are more likely to pay full tuition, they essentially subsidise other students who receive aid, said educational consultant Chuck Ambrose, former president of the University of Central Missouri. The administration's move to stop foreign enrollment is a huge blow to Harvard and sends a message to other universities: 'You could be next,' said Mr Robert Kelchen, a professor at the University of Tennessee who researches university finances. Ms Kristi Noem, Trump's homeland security adviser, said as much on May 22 during an appearance on The Story with Martha MacCallum on Fox News. Ms Noem was asked if the administration was considering similar moves at other universities, including Columbia University in New York. 'Absolutely, we are,' she responded. 'This should be a warning to every other university to get your act together.' Harvard's 6,800 international students make up 27 per cent of its total enrollment. In 2023, foreign students made up an even higher share at 43 other schools with at least 1,000 students, according to data from the National Center for Education Statistics. At Columbia University, which the Trump administration accuses of antisemitic policies, foreign students made up 39 per cent of total enrollment in 2023, the NCES data shows. At 246 other schools with an enrollment of at least 1,000, at least 10 per cent of students were from outside the US. The May 22 announcement comes as universities are already scrambling to make up for huge federal cuts in research funding. Harvard, which Trump administration says has failed to address antisemitism and ethnic harassment on campus, has seen nearly US$3 billion (S$3.9 billion) in federal contracts and research grants frozen or ended in recent weeks. Neither Harvard nor Columbia had comment on the financial impact of the latest move. 'It's just another financial hit on top of several hits that have already come for big research universities,' Mr Kelchen said. 'At this point the only thing that hasn't been touched is student financial aid.' REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
