Latest news with #StateDepartment
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Business Standard
an hour ago
- Politics
- Business Standard
Check visa slots daily: US to students as pause in visa process is short
In a message that may ease worries for Indian students, the US State Department on Thursday said a pause on visa processing for international students is likely to be brief, as it carries out expanded checks on social media activity. Tammy Bruce, a spokesperson for the State Department, encouraged prospective students to keep seeking appointments. 'I would not be recommending that if this was going to be weeks or months,' she said. She added, 'I can tell you that it's something that would happen perhaps sooner than later.' Tammy Bruce also advised students to keep checking for updates. 'Right now there might be some delay, and what I'm told to encourage people to do is to regularly check to see when those spaces open,' she said. India's External Affairs Ministry said on Thursday it expects the US to treat Indian students' visa applications fairly and to let them join their academic programmes on time. 'We saw some guidance coming from the United States on student visa matters,' said Randhir Jaiswal, spokesperson for the Ministry, at his weekly briefing. 'There we made a point that while it is a sovereign function, we expect and we hope that application of Indian students will be considered on merit, and they will be able to join their academic programmes in the US on time.' He added, 'The welfare of Indian students abroad remains of utmost priority for the government of India.' Stricter social media screening Concerns have grown among students over the Trump administration's move to step up social media vetting of visa applicants. On Wednesday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio instructed embassies and consulates to stop scheduling new visa interviews for student applicants. This step, according to Politico, is part of broader plans to expand scrutiny of foreign student and exchange visitor visa applicants' social media profiles. The directive, detailed in a cable seen by Politico, says, '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 septel, which we anticipate in the coming days.' Impact on Indian students and universities Ajay Sharma, an immigration expert, told Business Standard, 'Quite simply, the students most affected will be those who have not secured an appointment and those who have already scheduled one. The rejection rate could rise, particularly for applicants whose posts have been liked, shared, or forwarded—especially if they are considered controversial. These could include politically charged posts or ones seen as antisemitic.' Sharma explained, 'For those with appointments in the autumn, chances may be slim if they are flagged for such activity. Digital footprints are hard to erase, so deleting posts is pointless. It's better to be prepared to explain why you made those posts if the visa officer questions them.' 'For those who have never posted anything questionable, the best safeguard is to avoid posting content that could be seen as politically sensitive, critical of the US, or antisemitic,' he said. 'The simple advice is to steer clear of politics. Your goal is to study in the US—focus on that and stay away from political controversies for now. You'll have the rest of your life to engage with those issues if you wish.' Saurabh Arora, founder and CEO of University Living, said, 'The United States remains a top choice for Indian students, thanks to its world-class universities, research opportunities, and professional pathways. However, these developments may prompt families to more carefully weigh their options, especially those prioritising policy consistency and transparency.' He added, 'International students contribute more than just tuition. They bring global perspectives that enrich classrooms and research. According to our Indian Student Mobility Report 2024, Indian students are projected to spend $17.4 billion annually, including $10.1 billion on academic expenses alone.' Jaiswal noted that around 330,000 Indian students were in the US in 2023-24. He said, 'While we note that issuance of visa is a sovereign function, we hope that the application of Indian students will be considered on merit.'
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Business Standard
an hour ago
- Politics
- Business Standard
Suspension of student visa interviews will be brief, indicates US State Dept
The US State Department has indicated that the current global suspension of student visa processing will likely be short, as the government intensifies its screening of applicants' social media profiles. Speaking to reporters on Friday, State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce sought to reassure prospective students, advising them to continue seeking visa appointments despite the delays. 'I would not be recommending that if this was going to be weeks or months,' Bruce said. 'I can tell you that it's something that would happen perhaps sooner than later.' Bruce urged applicants to regularly monitor online platforms for updates. 'Right now there might be some delay, and what I'm told to encourage people to do is to regularly check to see when those spaces open,' she added. Why has the US paused student visa interviews globally? On May 27, President Donald Trump's administration asked consular missions across the world to pause new student visa interviews as part of plans to mandate all foreign students seeking to study in the US to undergo vetting of their social media activity. Secretary of State Marco Rubio signed a cable asking US embassies all over the world to pause new visa interviews for foreign students. Rubio has also revoked visas for a large number of students who led demonstrations critical of Israel's offensive in Gaza, using an obscure law that allows the removal of people deemed to go against US foreign policy interests. Part of broader Trump crackdown on international students It is one of a series of battles waged over education by Trump's administration, which has rescinded thousands of visas, sought to ban Harvard University from accepting any international students, and vowed to aggressively revoke visas for Chinese students. New screening to focus on social media activity The Trump administration had imposed social media screening requirements for students who were believed to have participated in protests against Israel's military action in Gaza. The federal government also said in April that it will screen the social media activity of immigrants and visa applicants for what it called 'antisemitic activity.' India urges US to issue student visas on merit Meanwhile, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has urged the US to ensure timely issuance of student visas based on merit. 'We are looking at the situation. A visa is a sovereign right of a country. We would like to urge the US to give visas in time for students on merit,' MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said. India, which sent nearly 330,000 students to the US in the 2023–24 academic year, stands to be particularly affected.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
Trump Admin Moves to Create ‘Remigration' Office to Supercharge Deportations
The Trump administration has plans to turn the idea of 'remigration' — a term associated with the far-right in Europe and the forced removal of all immigrants back to their native countries — into an official federal office that will be dedicated to escalating deportations across the United States. In a move to follow through with President Donald Trump's vow to lead the 'largest' mass deportation operation in American history, his administration proposed the creation of an Office of Remigration, which will be a 'hub for immigration issues and repatriation tracking.' The plan was detailed in a more than 100-page notification sent by the State Department to six Congressional committees, outlining its intentions to make widespread changes, including reducing immigration, the closure and restructuring of offices, and staff firings at its Washington, D.C., headquarters, according to CNN, which obtained a copy of the document. Per the outlet, the notification states that the Office of Remigration 'will provide a policy platform for interagency coordination with DHS and other agencies on removals/repatriations, and for intra-agency policy work to advance the President's immigration agenda.' State Department funds will be used to 'intra-agency policy work to advance the President's immigration agenda' and will use State Department funds to 'actively facilitate the voluntary return of migrants to their country of origin or legal status.' Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the State Department's proposal in April. 'The plan submitted to Congress was the result of thoughtful and deliberative work by senior Department leadership,' Rubio said in a statement. 'We have taken into account feedback from lawmakers, bureaus, and long-serving employees. The reorganization plan will result in a more agile Department, better equipped to promote America's interests and keep Americans safe across the world.' The department's plan also calls for the elimination of most of the Democracy, Human Rights and Labor bureau's regional offices, according to Reuters. Rubio proposed appointing a new deputy assistant secretary who would oversee a new Office of Natural Rights to 'build the foundation for criticisms of free speech backsliding in Europe and other developed nations.' According to CNN, the document also confirmed earlier reporting that a majority of the disaster relief work by the United States Agency for International Development, or USAID, would be absorbed into the Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration. The decision has been denounced, following devastating cuts to USAID by billionaire Elon Musk's so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which threaten to leave the world's most vulnerable people without access to life-saving supplies of food, clean water, and medicine. It's a testament to Trump and his administration's obsession with deporting migrants, around which they are focusing an obscene amount of federal resources. Stephen Miller, the White House adviser and fervent immigration hawk, reportedly yelled at top immigration officials earlier this month because they weren't deporting enough people, and on Thursday the administration shook up the leadership of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) . Miller posted ahead of the election last year about 'remigration,' writing on X: 'THE TRUMP PLAN TO END THE INVASION OF SMALL TOWN AMERICA: REMIGRATION!' Now that Trump is back in office, the plan appears to be taking from Rolling Stone Trump's 'Liberation Day' Tariffs Blocked by Federal Court Can Dems Save Themselves by Spending $20M on 'Speaking With American Men'? Trump Pardons NBA YoungBoy During Clemency Spree Best of Rolling Stone The Useful Idiots New Guide to the Most Stoned Moments of the 2020 Presidential Campaign Anatomy of a Fake News Scandal The Radical Crusade of Mike Pence
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Trump admin. announces State Dept. reorganization plan
May 29 (UPI) -- The Trump administration announced plans Thursday to overhaul the Department of State, saying the federal agency has grown too big and costly while producing too few results. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement that he has submitted the reorganization plan to Congress -- a report that includes feedback from lawmakers, government bureaus and employees. He first announced plans for the reorganization in April, calling his department "bloated, bureaucratic and unable to perform its essential diplomatic mission in this new era of great power competition." The report submitted to Congress, obtained by Politico, would reduce the State Department's domestic workforce by 3,448 jobs, including recent reductions in positions and voluntary exits under the Trump administration's deferred resignation program. It also calls for the elimination of most offices under the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, which champions American values abroad, including the rule of law and individual rights. Positions to be created under the plan align with the Trump administration's conservative reshaping of the federal government, including a deputy assistant secretary of state for Democracy and Western values, as well as a so-called Natural Rights Office that will "ground the department's values-based diplomacy in traditional Western conceptions of core freedoms," according to an international state Department notification to lawmakers states cited by Politico. "Over the past quarter century, the domestic operations of the State Department have grown exponentially, resulting in more bureaucracy, higher costs and fewer results for the American people," Rubio said Wednesday. "The reorganization plan will result in a more agile Department, better equipped to promote America's interests and keep Americans safe across the world." It was unclear how Congress would react to the proposal, but House and Senate Democrats on the foreign relations committees quickly rejected the plan as being detrimental to U.S. interests abroad. They said it "hands over" Afghan allies who worked with the U.S. military to the Taliban, guts programs to protect people who protect democracy, fires thousands of employees without cause and moves foreign assistance programs to entities with no experience with managing them. "We welcome reforms where needed but they must be done with a scalpel, not a chainsaw," Rep. Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y., ranking member of the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee, and Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., ranking member of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said in a statement. "Taken together, these moves significantly undercut America's role in the world and open the door for adversaries to threaten our safety and prosperity," she said. The overhaul comes as the Trump administration seeks to reshape and downsize the federal government in an effort to consolidate more power under President Donald Trump.
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Chinese nationals who infiltrated US universities
The Trump administration has intensified its scrutiny of Chinese nationals studying at U.S. universities after several instances in recent years of students from the communist country engaging in alleged surreptitious activity while in the United States. The incidents, which have involved allegations of espionage, conspiracy and accusations of misleading federal officials, occurred as a result of Chinese nationals or others with Chinese ties participating in joint education programs between the United States and China. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced Wednesday the State Department and the Department of Homeland Security plan to "aggressively revoke" student visas of Chinese nationals, "including those with connections to the Chinese Communist Party." A Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson blasted the new policy in a statement Thursday on X, saying the move was "fully unjustified" and damaging to the United States' reputation. State Department Says It Will 'Aggressively Revoke' Visas Of Chinese Students "Citing ideology and national security as a pretext, the move seriously hurts the lawful rights and interests of international students from China and disrupts people-to-people exchanges between the two countries," spokesperson Lin Jian said. Read On The Fox News App Nearly 300,000 Chinese nationals have student visas in the United States. It is unclear if the State Department plans to target all of them or only some. Fox News Digital reached out to the department for clarity. Below is a look at some recent incidents involving Chinese nationals at universities. The DOJ brought charges against five University of Michigan students last year after a sergeant major encountered them at Camp Grayling in 2023. The students had cameras with them and were discovered as the U.S. National Guard was conducting a massive training operation at the site with Taiwanese military members, according to a complaint. They were all Chinese nationals attending the University of Michigan as part of the school's joint program with a Shanghai-based university, an FBI official wrote in the complaint, noting some of them had taken photos of Camp Grayling's military installations and operations. The FBI asked the court to issue arrest warrants for the students for making false statements and destroying records. Two Chinese nationals who were graduate students at the University of Michigan pleaded guilty in 2020 after they were caught illegally entering and photographing defense infrastructure at a naval air station in Key West, Florida. Fengyun Shi, a Chinese national studying at the University of Minnesota, was convicted in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia last year of unlawfully using a drone to take photos of naval bases in Norfolk, Virginia. Shi was sentenced to six months in prison and a year of supervised release, and the Biden administration revoked his visa in response to the charges. ICE announced in May that it deported him to China. Trump Administration Begins New Wave Of International Student Visa Revocations: 'No One Has A Right To A Visa' While not a Chinese national, Charles Lieber, former chair of Harvard's chemistry department, was convicted in 2021 of making false statements to authorities and failing to report income from his work with China's Wuhan University of Technology and a contract he had with China's Thousand Talents Program. Ji Chaoqun, a Chinese national and one-time student at the Illinois Institute of Technology, was sentenced to eight years in prison after he was convicted by a jury in 2022 of attempting to commit espionage and theft of trade secrets. Ji was found to have gathered information on defense contractors, engineers and others as part of a broader effort by high-level Chinese intelligence officials to obtain inside access to U.S. technology advancements. Rubio's announcement also comes after Harvard filed a lawsuit alleging the Trump administration improperly banned all foreign nationals from the Ivy League school by revoking its student visa certification. A judge temporarily blocked the administration from carrying out the ban as the case plays out in the courts. State Department Now Scrutinizing All Visa Holders Associated With Harvard ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons told Harvard in a letter made public through court filings that the revocation was a result of the alleged prevalence of antisemitism on campus but also a result of the administration's "serious concerns" that the university has "coordinated with the Chinese Communist Party." Lyons cited several examples, including Harvard accepting $151 million from foreign donors since 2020, working with "China-based academics" on projects funded by an "Iranian government agent," partnering with Chinese universities and using public funds to do so and collaborating with people "linked to China's defense-industrial base." "This coordination is a valid and substantive reason for withdrawing Harvard University's [Student Exchange Visitor Program] certification to enroll foreign students," Lyons wrote. Harvard attorneys argued during a court hearing Thursday that the Trump administration did not give the university a chance to rebut the claims about antisemitism and CCP ties before the foreign student ban was enacted. The administration agreed to give Harvard one month to respond to those claims while the ban remains on article source: Chinese nationals who infiltrated US universities
