How Are Trump Administration’s Rules Affecting Int’l Students in US

After the Trump administration proposed legal restrictions on academic visa holders, the international students in and outside the country have been facing deep uncertainty, concerned how their future professional careers would look like after the restrictions.

The new rules include limiting international students to spend time in English language training, how often students can change the study programs and the validity of an academic visa. The latter was not definite as long as a student was enrolled in a four-year US education institution.

The proposed policy foresees forcing international students and scholars coming from specific countries to leave the United States within two or four years. According to the rules, only those who provide a convincing reason are allowed to remain in the country, Erudera reports.

Following this, many universities in the United States have opposed the decision of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) regarding the restrictions on international students’ length of stay in the United States.

A group of international students in the country have been waiting for feedback from education institutions where they are pursuing studies or have even considered travel plans, fearing deportation.

“Lately, I’ve been having a lot of mixed feelings about the United States,” says Hannah Guo, an arriving international student at Pomona College.

Despite students’ uncertainty, due to the latest estimation that the number of international enrolments could decrease as a consequence of pandemic, there has been uncertainty among educational institutions in the country as well. Many have been questioning what will happen with the American campuses if the number of international students decreases as predicted.

Back in July, before ICE officially announced the rules, the adjunct faculty member at Brigham Young University, Kylee Marshall told thenation that international students are very necessary for the United States.

“They enrich the experience that other students have—and that’s what’s been on my mind the most.”

According to a report by International Educators, in 2018, international students have contributed to the US economy with $41 billion.

Following the presidential proclamation announced on May 29 by President Donald Trump, in early September, visas of 1,000 Chinese students and scholars were revoked based on the argument that those persons pose a high risk for the country’s national security.

In June, the Trump administration also decided to suspend issuing new work visas, including H-1B and J-1, which pushed many researchers to quit their jobs.

A poll conducted by Erudera has revealed that 71.1 per cent of international students in the US prefer Democrat Joe Biden to become US first man, instead of the current president Republican Donald Trump supported by 28.9 per cent of international students only.