US could soon lift international student visa restrictions

Appointments for visa applications may soon open up

Graduates at a commencement ceremony at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. AFP

The administration of US President Donald Trump may soon end its temporary restrictions on international student visa applications, a move sure to bring relief to prospective scholars who had secured spots at US universities.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio last month told embassies and consulates around the world to pause new foreign student interviews as the State Department implemented enhanced screening of applicants' social media histories.

Mr Rubio also said he would cancel visas for Chinese students with connections to the Chinese Communist Party or who are studying in critical fields.

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But on Wednesday, Mr Trump said Chinese students would be allowed to attend US colleges and universities as part of trade negotiations with Beijing.

"We will provide to China what was agreed to, including Chinese students using our colleges and universities," he said on Truth Social.

The Trump administration has taken particular aim at Harvard University, barring it from enrolling international students. Mr Trump has claimed the elite college has too many international students and has harboured anti-Semitism. A judge last month blocked his action against Harvard.

The various directives and decrees relating to international students threw thousands of people's plans into disarray, leaving them uncertain as to whether they would be able to start their courses in the new academic year.

On Tuesday, State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce suggested that embassies and consulates would soon resume interviews for international student visas and said people should start looking for interview spots to open.

"People should watch for those spaces to be open, should continue to apply. This is not going to be a lengthy or an ongoing dynamic," Ms Bruce told reporters. "It was meant for a specific, almost an administrative adjustment."

She said the interview pause was to ensure embassies and consulates knew what to expect in terms of additional vetting.

"And that process, we were told, would be rapid," Ms Bruce said.

A protracted delay in student visas would 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.

The Trump administration's clampdown on international student visa processing caused dismay across campuses in the US and among people hoping to study here.

Dechen Parkel, 21, who is studying at George Washington University in the US capital, said reducing international student numbers would impact campus life for domestic students too. The university enrols about 2,800 students.

"We live in a world where it's like, we're all connected," he said. "It would be sad to see them go, because I just think it's such a cool part of [Washington] DC. ... Being able to interact with people from different cultures is what makes college worth it."

An international student at Harvard said the moves against the university and international students had been demoralising.

"I feel like the visa ban is nonsense as it deprives the smartest students in the country to reach their full potential and finish their studies, and it turns the 'American dream' into an American nightmare," he said. "Morale is definitely down among students as we are all scared not knowing what will come next, but we’re more united than ever.

He said the changing visa regulations had impacted him personally as he is now afraid to leave the US over fears he would be denied re-entry.

China is the second-largest country of origin for international students in the US, behind only India. In the 2023-2024 academic year, more than 270,000 international students were from China, making up about a quarter of all foreign students in the US.