On Wednesday evening, Secretary of State Marco Rubio put out a press statement: “Under President Trump’s leadership, the U.S. State Department will work with the Department of Homeland Security to aggressively revoke visas for Chinese students, including those with connections to the Chinese Communist Party or studying in critical fields. We will also revise visa criteria to enhance scrutiny of all future visa applications from the People’s Republic of China and Hong Kong.”
In 2024, 277,398 Chinese students attended a U.S. university.
More than 110,000 were pursuing STEM courses or degrees.
As of today: The State Department has not provided details about the additional measures the department would take to scrutinize new visa applicants nor whether this applies to student visas only or all categories of visas. We expect there to be legal challenges against the Trump administration and State Dept.
State Department Pause on Student Visa Interviews
According to a POLITICO report, a State Department cable signed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio on May 27, states that “Effective immediately, in preparation for an expansion of required social media screening and vetting, consular sections should not add any additional student or exchange visitor (F, M, and J) visa appointment capacity until further guidance is issued septel, which we anticipate in the coming days.” (“Septel” is State Department shorthand for “separate telegram.”)
- US Embassies and consular sections have been instructed not to schedule new interviews for student visa applicants.
- It is unclear what the expanded social media screening would entail and what would be permissible or disqualifying.
Harvard University’s Legal Battle
On Thursday, federal judge Allison D. Burroughs blocked President Trump’s effort to prevent Harvard University from enrolling international students. This is an early victory for the university in an ongoing contest with the White House. “I want to maintain the status quo,” Judge Burroughs said in the hearing on Thursday. “People are terrified.”
The Big Picture
Wednesday’s State Department announcement regarding Chinese students is the latest measure by the Trump administration to penalize U.S. colleges and universities for what the administration deems as violations of its executive orders, specifically related to antisemitism and diversity on campuses.
- Chinese students make up the largest nationality of foreign students enrolled at Harvard University.
- On Wednesday, President Trump told reporters that there should be a 15 percent cap on the number of foreign students that Harvard or other universities can admit relative to their overall enrollment. More than 27% of Harvard’s student body are foreign students.
- If the Trump administration is successful with these proposed actions — blocking certain nationalities from U.S. universities and increasing social media vetting — it would likely significantly extend the timelines for student visa processing. It would also hurt universities that rely on the talent and tuition of foreign students.
Erickson Immigration Group will continue monitoring developments and sharing updates as more news is available. Please contact your employer or EIG attorney if you have questions about anything we’re reporting above or if you have case-specific questions.
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