Latest news with #visaCrackdown
South China Morning Post
3 days ago
- Business
- South China Morning Post
US visa crackdown echoes Trump's first term, while China's response marks shift in tone
Washington's visa crackdown on Chinese students with ties to the Communist Party closely mirrors restrictions imposed during US President Donald Trump's first administration, which at the time prompted Beijing to accuse the US of 'regime change'. However, this time, Beijing's response has been notably restrained, with China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday denouncing the move as 'discriminatory' and lodging diplomatic protests. Despite Beijing's unease over discussions about party connections, observers suggested China's measured approach stemmed from its focus on crucial trade negotiations with the Trump administration, and a belief that such policies would ultimately backfire and harm the US. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced in a brief statement on Wednesday that the US would 'aggressively revoke' visas for Chinese students, specifically those with connections to the ruling party or studying in 'critical fields', while tightening scrutiny of visa applications from mainland China and Hong Kong. Foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning on Thursday called the move 'politically motivated and discriminatory', saying it had used ideology and national security as a pretext and would 'further damage' America's global image and reputation. Yun Sun, director of the China programme and co-director of the East Asia programme at the Stimson Centre in Washington, said much remained unclear about the latest plan, as specific criteria for visa revocation and its potential scope had yet to be disclosed.
Reuters
3 days ago
- Business
- Reuters
Chinese students face anxious wait for visas under US crackdown
BEIJING, May 30 (Reuters) - Caught in the middle of Washington's renewed visa crackdown on Chinese international students, Beijing postgraduate Lainey is anxiously waiting to resume the visa process to study a PhD at her dream school, the University of California. "We feel helpless and unable to do anything," said the 24-year-old sociology student, who declined to give her surname for privacy reasons. "The situation in North America this year is not very good. From applying for my PhD until now, this series of visa policies is not very favourable to us. But we have no choice but to wait." The U.S. State Department said on Thursday it would not tolerate the "exploitation" of American universities or theft of U.S. research and intellectual property by Beijing. Spokesperson Tammy Bruce did not elaborate on how many Chinese students would be affected by a new plan announced on Wednesday to "aggressively" revoke visas. The visa crackdown is the latest in a series of moves targeting the international student community, especially Chinese nationals, who make up roughly 1 in 4 of all international students in the U.S., as the Trump administration pursues its hardline immigration agenda. If applied to a broad segment of the 277,000 Chinese students already at U.S. colleges, the visa revocations could disrupt a major source of income for universities and a crucial pipeline of talent for U.S. technology companies. Chinese students make up 16% of all graduate science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) students in the United States. The announcement on Chinese student visa holders came after the Trump administration ordered its missions worldwide to stop scheduling new appointments for student and exchange visitor visa applicants. If the visa appointment system is not resumed soon, Lainey wishes to defer enrolment for a year. "Although everyone says the U.S. admissions system may be biased against Chinese students, in reality U.S. schools are indeed the top in terms of academic quality," she said. "I may also consider (applying to) some places outside the U.S., such as Europe, as well as Hong Kong and Singapore." The measures are a sign of the increasing spillover from a bruising trade war between the two global superpowers, and threaten to derail a fragile truce reached mid-May in Geneva. A Friday editorial by China's state-owned Global Times newspaper said the new visa measures raised "the spectre of McCarthyism" and likened them to an "educational witch-hunt". "In recent years, the suppression of Chinese students has increasingly become an important part of the U.S. strategy to contain China," the commentary said. Potentially even more damaging than the immediate economic impact for the U.S. could be a long-term erosion of the appeal of U.S. universities and the subsequent brain drain. International students - 54% of them from India and China - contributed more than $50 billion to the U.S. economy in 2023, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce. "If I really have to wait until 2026 to reapply, I might not have such positive feelings towards America," said Lainey. "If I can't even get a visa, then I'd have no choice but to go somewhere else."
The Sun
10-05-2025
- Politics
- The Sun
Keir Starmer gears up to fight Nigel Farage at election as he launches immigration crackdown
SIR Keir Starmer has said the Tories are a 'busted flush' and the election will be him versus Nigel Farage - as he launches a major immigration crackdown. On Monday the PM will announce a visa crackdown to wean Britain off foreign labour by saying migrants will need to have higher qualifications and better English to come here. 2 2 It comes after Reform UK wiped the floor with Labour and the Tories in the local elections - sparking calls from panicked Labour MPs for a reset in No10. Speaking exclusively to The Sun on Sunday while on a trip to Kyiv, the PM said the next race for No10 is likely to be a dust-up between him and Nigel. He said: 'Certainly we were planning on the basis we were likely to be facing Reform at the next election in any event. So that coincides with our thinking.' Tearing into Tory leader Kemi Badenoch, he went on: 'I think the Tory Party is a busted flush. "They haven't learnt the lessons of the last general election. They have no idea where they are heading. 'And they have got a leader who is showing no leadership. 'But what I take out of those election results is that we need to deliver change. 'We have already delivered significant change with the NHS waiting lists coming down and wages going up quicker than prices, minimum wage is going up, interest rates are coming down. 'But we need to make sure people feel that change in their pockets and in their everyday lives. That is what I am intent on delivering.' Home Secretary Yvette Cooper will unveil Labour's long-awaited plan to bring down record immigration tomorrow. There will be strict time-limits and restrictions on recruitment for jobs with critical skills shortages. Farage promised an earthquake & he delivered - Labour are badly bruised & Tories face being brushed aside as opposition And employers will also be told they must train workers in the UK. Ministers want to drive down the reliance on foreign workers while getting soaring numbers of unemployed young Brits into jobs. They are setting up groups with the Department for Work and Pensions to look at how this can be done. Ministers want to drive down the reliance on foreign workers while getting soaring numbers of unemployed young Brits into jobs. The Prime Minister added: 'Sun readers know this country's migration system is broken. "A population the size of Birmingham arrived in just four years. 'No control, business hooked on cheap labour, and Brits' wages undercut. This failed experiment stops. I'm shutting down the lab. 'By clamping down on abuse of the system, tightening time limits on visas, and boosting training for Brits we'll make our borders secure, the system fair, and Brits better off. This is the change I was elected to deliver.'
