Harvard students protested on Tuesday after the US government said it intends to cancel all remaining financial contracts with the university. AFP
Harvard students protested on Tuesday after the US government said it intends to cancel all remaining financial contracts with the university. AFP
Harvard students protested on Tuesday after the US government said it intends to cancel all remaining financial contracts with the university. AFP
Harvard students protested on Tuesday after the US government said it intends to cancel all remaining financial contracts with the university. AFP

Trump administration freezes new student visa interviews worldwide


Sara Ruthven
  • English
  • Arabic

US President Donald Trump's administration has paused new foreign student interviews at embassies and consulates around the world as it weighs requiring the vetting of applicants' social media histories.

The directive, first reported on by Politico, was sent to US diplomatic and consular posts abroad and signed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

If the administration goes through with the plan, it could severely slow down student visa processing, and ultimately hurt universities that rely heavily on foreign students' tuition fees.

In 2023-24, the US hosted an all-time high of 1.1 million international students. About 90,000 are from the Arab World, according to estimates, while more than 300,000 are Indian.

Consular officers have, since March, been required to conduct mandatory social media reviews looking for evidence of support for “terrorist activity or a terrorist organisation”, which could be as broad as showing support for the Palestinian cause, according to The Guardian, quoting a department message.

"It seems to be such a controversial thing that’s going on, but it shouldn’t be, and every nation should take seriously … who’s coming in, so if you’re going to be applying for a visa, follow the normal process, then all the steps, expect to be looked at and we go on from there," State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce told reporters.

"It is a goal, as stated by the President and Secretary [of State Marco] Rubio, to make sure that people who are here are here and understand what the law is, that they don’t have any criminal intent, that they are going to be contributors to the experience here, however short or long their stay is."

Critics warned that the move is likely to make bright foreign students look elsewhere for their studies.

“The Sergey Brins of the world came as students and did wonders for the US economy,” Raghuram Raja, former Reserve Bank of India Governor, told Bloomberg TV, pointing to one of the founders of Google.

He warned that squeezing foreign students could impact job growth, noting that companies like Google employ thousands, thanks in part to immigration-linked talent pipelines.

Last week, business tycoon Kevin O’Leary, a Trump ally, recommended a vetting process for foreign students, while praising them for intellect and patriotism.

“These students are extraordinary individuals, and they don’t hate America,” he told Fox Business.

Campus crackdown

US immigration authorities announced last month that social media activity perceived to be anti-Semitic, as well as the "physical harassment of Jewish" people, would be grounds for denying applicants visas and permanent residency.

Since Mr Trump returned to office in January, his administration has taken aim at foreign students who participated in campus pro-Palestine protests that swept the country last year. The State Department has revoked hundreds of student visas so far and Mr Rubio has said that more are still to come.

Universities that saw large protests, such as Columbia in New York, have come into the administration's crosshairs.

Harvard students cheer during a rally in support of the international student population on 27 May 2025. AFP
Harvard students cheer during a rally in support of the international student population on 27 May 2025. AFP

Meanwhile, the Trump administration has asked federal agencies to cancel contracts worth about $100 million with Harvard University.

The government has already cancelled more than $2.3 billion in federal research grants for the Ivy League school, which has opposed the administration's demands for changes to several of its policies.

A draft letter from the General Services Administration, first reported by The New York Times, directs agencies to review contracts with the university and seek alternatives. The administration plans to send a version of the letter on Tuesday, AP reported.

Mr Trump said on Monday that he was considering rerouting $3 billion in grants to trade schools.

The administration has identified about 30 contracts across nine agencies to be reviewed for cancellation, AP reported, quoting an administration official.

The contracts include executive training for Department of Homeland Security officials, research on health results related to energy drinks, and a contract for graduate student research services.

The letter is the latest move by Mr Trump to end the long-standing relationship between the US government and Harvard, which he has accused of engaging in discriminatory admissions practices, promotion of liberal bias and allowing the proliferation of anti-Semitism.

So far, his administration has moved to freeze hundreds of millions of dollars in funding for Harvard and banned it from admitting foreign students – ordering all enrolled foreign students to find courses at other universities or leave the country. A judge has since issued a temporary stay on the ban.

“We are still waiting for the foreign student lists from Harvard so that we can determine, after a ridiculous expenditure of billions of dollars, how many radicalised lunatics, troublemakers all, should not be let back into our country,” Mr Trump said on social media.

The DHS has demanded that Harvard turn over files related to its foreign students, including disciplinary records and documents related to “dangerous or violent activity”.

Harvard has said it complied, but the agency claimed its response fell short, leading to the ban on foreign student enrolment. The university has filed lawsuits to unfreeze the funding and remove the ban.

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE v Gibraltar

What: International friendly

When: 7pm kick off

Where: Rugby Park, Dubai Sports City

Admission: Free

Online: The match will be broadcast live on Dubai Exiles’ Facebook page

UAE squad: Lucas Waddington (Dubai Exiles), Gio Fourie (Exiles), Craig Nutt (Abu Dhabi Harlequins), Phil Brady (Harlequins), Daniel Perry (Dubai Hurricanes), Esekaia Dranibota (Harlequins), Matt Mills (Exiles), Jaen Botes (Exiles), Kristian Stinson (Exiles), Murray Reason (Abu Dhabi Saracens), Dave Knight (Hurricanes), Ross Samson (Jebel Ali Dragons), DuRandt Gerber (Exiles), Saki Naisau (Dragons), Andrew Powell (Hurricanes), Emosi Vacanau (Harlequins), Niko Volavola (Dragons), Matt Richards (Dragons), Luke Stevenson (Harlequins), Josh Ives (Dubai Sports City Eagles), Sean Stevens (Saracens), Thinus Steyn (Exiles)

Moon Music

Artist: Coldplay

Label: Parlophone/Atlantic

Number of tracks: 10

Rating: 3/5

How to avoid crypto fraud
  • Use unique usernames and passwords while enabling multi-factor authentication.
  • Use an offline private key, a physical device that requires manual activation, whenever you access your wallet.
  • Avoid suspicious social media ads promoting fraudulent schemes.
  • Only invest in crypto projects that you fully understand.
  • Critically assess whether a project’s promises or returns seem too good to be true.
  • Only use reputable platforms that have a track record of strong regulatory compliance.
  • Store funds in hardware wallets as opposed to online exchanges.

UAE squad

Rohan Mustafa (captain), Ashfaq Ahmed, Ghulam Shabber, Rameez Shahzad, Mohammed Boota, Mohammed Usman, Adnan Mufti, Shaiman Anwar, Ahmed Raza, Imran Haider, Qadeer Ahmed, Mohammed Naveed, Amir Hayat, Zahoor Khan

Results

5pm Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 1,400m

Winner No Riesgo Al Maury, Szczepan Mazur (jockey), Ibrahim Al Hadhrami (trainer)

5.30pm Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 1,600m

Winner Marwa W’Rsan, Sam Hitchcott, Jaci Wickham.

6pm Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 1,600m

Winner Dahess D’Arabie, Al Moatasem Al Balushi, Helal Al Alawi.

6.30pm Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 2,200m

Winner Safin Al Reef, Connor Beasley, Abdallah Al Hammadi.

7pm Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 2,200m

Winner Thulbaseera Al Jasra, Shakir Al Balushi, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami.

7.30pm Maiden (TB) Dh 80,000 2,200m

Winner Autumn Pride, Szczepan Mazur, Helal Al Alawi.

Indoor cricket in a nutshell

Indoor Cricket World Cup - Sep 16-20, Insportz, Dubai

16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side

8 There are eight players per team

There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.

5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls

Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership

Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.

Zones

A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs

B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run

Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs

Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full

ULTRA PROCESSED FOODS

- Carbonated drinks, sweet or savoury packaged snacks, confectionery, mass-produced packaged breads and buns 

- Margarines and spreads; cookies, biscuits, pastries, cakes, and cake mixes, breakfast cereals, cereal and energy bars

- Energy drinks, milk drinks, fruit yoghurts and fruit drinks, cocoa drinks, meat and chicken extracts and instant sauces

- Infant formulas and follow-on milks, health and slimming products such as powdered or fortified meal and dish substitutes

- Many ready-to-heat products including pre-prepared pies and pasta and pizza dishes, poultry and fish nuggets and sticks, sausages, burgers, hot dogs, and other reconstituted meat products, powdered and packaged instant soups, noodles and desserts

Directed by Sam Mendes

Starring Dean-Charles Chapman, George MacKay, Daniel Mays

4.5/5

The Details

Article 15
Produced by: Carnival Cinemas, Zee Studios
Directed by: Anubhav Sinha
Starring: Ayushmann Khurrana, Kumud Mishra, Manoj Pahwa, Sayani Gupta, Zeeshan Ayyub
Our rating: 4/5 

The National's picks

4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young

SCHEDULE

6.30pm Maiden Dh165,000 (Dirt) 1,400m
7.05pm: Handicap Dh170,000 (D) 1,600m
7.40pm: Maiden Dh165,000 (D) 1,600m
8.15pm: Handicap Dh210,000 (D) 1,200m
8.50pm: Handicap Dh210,000 (D) 2,000m
9.25pm:Handicap Dh185,000 (D) 1,400m
 
Amith's predicted winners:
6.30pm: Down On Da Bayou
7.05pm: Etisalat
7.40pm: Mulfit
8.15pm: Pennsylvania Dutch
8.50pm: Mudallel
9.25pm: Midnight Sands

Labour dispute

The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.


- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law 

Updated: May 28, 2025, 9:52 AM`