‘Is this the end?’: Asian students bound for US anxious about visa freeze

Mr Devraj was until recently stressed about securing part-funding for a humanities master's programme at Columbia University, New York. But though the Delhi-based 26-year-old has secured a scholarship that will cover 85 per cent of his tuition, he is unsure if he will get to go to the US at all. 

Millions of students across the globe are in a similar bind, now that a new US policy has effectively frozen new student visa applications.

A US State Department directive on May 27 ordered embassies to suspend scheduling appointments for student and foreign visitor visas as it prepares to expand social media vetting of such applicants to enhance national security. 

Issued by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the memo directed US embassies to remove any unfilled appointments from their calendars for students seeking visas but said those with appointments already scheduled could go ahead.

Mr Rubio said the pause would last "until further guidance is issued".

The move escalates a series of restrictions on international students, amid the US government's wider pressure campaign against top American universities. 

Last week, the Department of Homeland Security told Harvard University that it can no longer enrol international students.

This was purportedly to hold the Ivy League school accountable "for fostering violence, anti-Semitism and coordinating with the Chinese Communist Party on its campus". A judge has temporarily blocked the ban. 

In a twist of the knife for international students, the latest policy change could delay visa processing and disrupt enrolment timelines at US universities. 

Several student applicants in Asia declined The Straits Times' request for comment, citing a "fear of any consequences" impacting their visa eligibility.

"A suspension could mean weeks or months, and things may not be resolved before my classes start in August," said Mr Devraj, whose name has been changed to protect his identity.  

He was unsure if he should confirm his enrolment by May 31, by paying the university a non-refundable US$1,000 (S$1,290), which is around 83,000 rupees – not a small amount for the middle-class young Indian. Only then would the university issue him an I-20 certificate, which is a prerequisite for student visa application.

India is the largest source of international students in the US, with 331,602 studying there in the academic year 2023-24. China comes a close second, with 277,398.

These Asian giants together account for a third of foreign students in the US. 

They are followed by South Korea with 43,149 students, Canada with 28,998, Taiwan with 23,157, and Vietnam with 22,066.  

Chinese students ask if it is the end

In China, students and officials alike were confused and disappointed.

Chinese state broadcaster CCTV inquired with the US Embassy in Beijing on May 28, but a staff member said that it had "yet to receive relevant information", and visa processing was proceeding as usual.

Others reported on Chinese social media that slots for student visa interviewees were not available for June and July, although it is unclear whether this was due to the latest development. 

A higher education career counsellor in an international school in Beijing, who declined to be named, told ST: "Since early this morning, students have barged into my office and exclaimed: 'Teacher, is this the end for us? What does this policy mean?'"

She has students who paid deposits of a few hundred US dollars in May to secure their places in American universities before they can apply for visas. 

If they do not get their visas, they would have to squabble with the universities on whether the deposits can be refunded, she said. 

While most Chinese students still prefer to pursue their higher education in the US, some of them have already chosen to go to Canada or Britain instead, she said. 

"Those who have shortlisted only American universities can only wait for further information," she added.

China's Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said on May 28: "China has always believed that normal educational cooperation and academic exchanges should not be disrupted.

"We urge the US side to earnestly safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of students from all countries, including Chinese students." 

Social media vetting

The introduction of stringent social media checks has raised concerns among prospective students and their families. 

Mr Rubio had foreshadowed social media monitoring in March after the police arrested Tufts University doctoral student Rumeysa Ozturk over an op-ed she wrote on Gazans. She was later freed on bail as she fights possible deportation.

At the time, Mr Rubio had said: "If you apply for a visa to enter the United States and be a student, and you tell us that the reason you are coming to the United States is not just because you want to write op-eds, but because you want to participate in movements that are involved in doing things like vandalising universities, harassing students, taking over buildings, creating a ruckus – we're not going to give you a visa." 

A leaked US State Department diplomatic cable dated March 25 describes a new standard for visa denials based on a broad definition of what constitutes support for "terrorist activity".

It mandated comprehensive reviews of the social media profiles of all applicants seeking F (academic students), M (vocational students) and J (exchange visitors) visas.

Officers must take screenshots of any "potentially derogatory" content found during these reviews, even if such content is later deleted or altered. These records will be stored in the applicant's case file and may serve as grounds for visa denial.

Many like Mr Devraj are hurrying to make their social media accounts private. 

"I have no other option. The US government could apply its whims and fancies under vague and broad parameters to deem any of my posts a threat to national security," said Mr Devraj, adding that he might look to Europe if "things remain this bad in the US".

China-based consultancies who provide overseas educational application services have also advised Chinese students to remove "sensitive content" on their social media, including phrases such as "Gulf of Mexico", "LGBTQ", "gender diversity" and "anti-Semitism".

A prospective Taiwanese student to the US, who declined to be named, told ST that she has yet to secure a visa appointment slot and is now "very worried" that her application would be affected. 

The 28-year-old had been looking forward to starting a master's programme in law this August in Texas, where her boyfriend is already studying engineering.

However, she is not concerned about the vetting of her social media accounts as she said she is rarely active online. "If I post anything, which is rare, they're just pictures of food – nothing politically sensitive," she said.

Applicants uncertain, officials try to help 

On a Korean internet community group of more than 40,000 called Jaws Mom, set up to dispense free advice for parents looking to send their children to the US, group administrator Kim Seong-jun called the suspension of visa interviews "shocking news".

He advised the group members to stay calm and wait to see what happens, as the start of the fall semester in US schools is still more than two months away. 

He also urged members to refrain from criticising the US government on its policies on social media platforms and to delete such comments if already made. 

A parent member, in response to Mr Kim's post, shared that her child was supposed to start school in autumn, and had already received the I-20 certificate. She had not seen the urgency in scheduling a visa appointment with the embassy and now regrets her decision. 

"I have no choice but to wait and see how things progress, but I'm anxious," she wrote. 

The South Korean Embassy in the US created an emergency contact network for international students and held several meetings to share the current situation. 

Earlier, on May 22, the embassy posted a notice regarding the strengthening of US immigration policies and entry screening. In particular, it warned international students residing on student visas that "if caught engaging in illegal employment or labour activities, it can be considered a serious violation of immigration law". 

The Indonesian embassy on May 27 conveyed to the US its "deep concern over the negative effect" the policy has on Indonesian and other foreign students. 

The US Embassy in Jakarta reported 8,348 Indonesian students in the US for 2023-2024.

Mr Rolliansyah Soemirat, spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said in a statement on the sidelines of the Asean Summit on May 27 that "Indonesian missions in the US are prepared to provide consular assistance to affected Indonesian students".

Dr Sidrotun Naim, a member of the Jakarta-based alumni association Harvard Club of Indonesia, told ST on last week's ban: "Indonesian students in Harvard face two options in dealing with this situation: They can transfer to another campus in order to retain their legal status in the US or return to Indonesia. But the situation remains fluid." 

Asian universities open doors 

Since the ban on Harvard enrolment of new international students, some territories are moving swiftly to attract the run-off of top students from the US.

The Hong Kong Education Bureau called on all universities in Hong Kong "to introduce facilitation measures for those eligible with a view to safeguarding the legitimate rights and interests of students and scholars", and to attract top talent in accordance with each institution's diverse admissions and recruitment policies.

The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) has invited affected students from any foreign university to make use of its "robust transfer policies and admission protocols", streamlined credit transfers and seamless transitions into its programmes, including accommodation arrangements and scholarships. 

"On the day the foreign student ban was announced, we were approached by graduating students, alumni, and prospective students currently bound for Harvard – many from Hong Kong and mainland China – who are grappling with profound anxiety about the disruption of their academic journeys," a HKUST spokesman told ST. 

Japan has also indicated its willingness to support visa applications for those who may find themselves stranded by US policy directives. Tokyo on May 27 called on its domestic institutions of higher learning to open their doors to students who plan to or have enrolled in the US.

The top three public universities – University of Tokyo, Kyoto University and Osaka University – have said they are considering the acceptance of students and young researchers of US universities who may be displaced.

One hitch is that the Japanese academic year begins in April, making it out of step with the US. 

University of Tokyo president Teruo Fujii told the Nikkei newspaper that the stagnation of higher learning in the US marked a "crisis for the global academic community".

He added: "We will work towards expanding, within the year, our acceptance of international students who have difficulty studying or researching overseas due to political interference." 

Wait and watch

Meanwhile, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi declined comment at a regular news briefing on May 28, saying Tokyo would respond after it gains a "full understanding" of the matter, including how long appointments for student visa screenings would be paused.

Japan is not a top source of foreign students to the US. The weak yen and sluggish economy make costs prohibitive. Still, 13,959 Japanese students and researchers enrolled in US universities for the 2023-24 academic year, including 260 at Harvard.

Mr Yusuke Matsuda, the Japan representative of prep school Crimson Education and an adviser to the Education Ministry, urged students who have secured appointments with the US embassy not to cancel or reschedule their interviews and to carefully review their public profiles.

"If your interview isn't scheduled, this suspension may cause anxiety, but it is recommended that you wait a few days to a week and see how things go," he wrote on the online portal Newspicks.

Mr Matsuda said it was likely for US universities to eventually band together and seek a class action lawsuit to halt policies that would hurt their enrolment of foreign students, citing precedent in 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic. Mr Trump, in his first term in office, sought to implement a policy that would have forced international students to leave the US if their classes were held entirely online. The authorities rescinded the policy after Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology sued the Trump administration.

Mr Andrew Siow, 19, a student enrolled in an American Degree Transfer Programme at Sunway University in Malaysia, had planned to finish his third and fourth years in science engineering at Western Michigan University in the US. 

"If this continues, I guess I will have to finish my studies in Malaysia. I really wanted to go there and see the US, maybe visit parts of the country during my semester break. I've always wanted to visit California. I just hope the American government will stop this soon," said Mr Siow. 

Some have given up on the US.

Indonesian Niwa R Dwitama, 33, told ST that he is considering pursuing his doctoral studies in Britain.

Mr Niwa, who holds a master's degree in international affairs from Columbia University, was accepted into Johns Hopkins University in Washington for his doctoral studies in March. 

"With the current US immigration policy and economic uncertainties, being a foreign student in the US poses greater risks and hardships. After all, I will be bringing my family with me during my studies," he said.  

In Malaysia, the new directive was the final nail in the coffin for Mrs Liyana Ariff, whose 19-year-old daughter is planning to study data analytics in the US.

The 48-year-old engineer told ST that she may send her daughter, a computer science student, to study elsewhere, though "I know my daughter will be disappointed".

Mrs Liyana had already been "quite concerned and wary of how the US has been deporting people out of the country".

"I've read about that lady from Wales who was detained for three weeks even though she was flying out to Canada from Seattle. And she's white. They're also arresting their own citizens. If that can happen to these people, they could do a lot worse to my daughter."