The U.S. State Department just re-engaged! They’ve made the decision to resume student visa processing for foreign students, eliminating a prior suspension that affected tens of thousands of applicants. The Trump administration’s unprecedented suspension of new visa interview scheduling is impacting this. This decision is especially consequential for foreign students, who account for more than 15% of the student body at almost 200 U.S. universities.
With the new academic year fast approaching, it is imperative that foreign students are able to sort out travel and housing plans. The window for booking flights and getting hotel rooms is closing quickly. Because of this, a great number of would-be travelers are scouring visa booking portals and tracking the State Department’s moves.
Nearly 75 percent of international students in the United States are enrolled in private universities, including all eight Ivy League schools. Since the spring, they have been nervous, wait-listed and anxious, looking forward to certainty in their visa status. That confusion started last summer when the Trump administration first rescinded authorization for thousands of foreign students to study in the U.S. then reversed course.
“This policy makes a censor of every consular officer, and it will inevitably chill legitimate political speech both inside and outside the United States,” – Jameel Jaffer.
The Trump administration for example has sought more stringent vetting of travelers. They called on 36 countries to improve their screening at points of travel and threatened with punitive bans from allowing their citizens to travel to the U.S. Students from places such as China, India, Mexico, and the Philippines are starting to feel the effects of this heightened scrutiny. Yet, they have been steadfastly monitoring news related to their visa applications.
Given all these changes, many of the students we spoke to expressed a sense of relief about the return of consistent visa processing. Chen, a future member of the class of 2027, said, “This is huge. I’m honestly super excited. I’ve been checking the website two or three times a day.”
The standards for the enrollment of foreign students extends beyond private universities. Nearly 26 public universities, including the University of Illinois and Pennsylvania State University, can claim similar foreign student populations. These institutions have thus been at the front lines of the discussion, promoting the cause of international students who enrich campus diversity and cultural exchange.
The Trump administration’s policies have been met with both cheer and dismay on the part of universities and foreign student advocates. Where advocates agree on the need for greater accountability, critics warn that this level of examination will intimidate law-abiding applicants and squash free speech.
“We will ensure we are properly screening every single person attempting to visit our country,” – The State Department.
As fall semester approaches, universities across the country prepare for another academic year. They admit they don’t know the enrollment impacts of recent moves or how they might transform campus dynamics. U.S. Harvard University has been in the eye of the storm when it comes to discussion of potential restrictions on foreign enrollment. President Trump recently suggested that the university limit its foreign enrollment to no more than 15%.
Foreign students are beacons of the greater academic undertaking in the U.S., enriching our campuses culturally and intellectually, even as they pray on bank statements. Their value is especially evident for many of these institutions, which have come to depend on the tuition that international students pay to keep their programs afloat.
