The Trump administration has revoked Harvard University's eligibility to enrol foreign students, raising concerns over the legal status of thousands of students, including nearly 800 from India, currently enrolled at the varsity.
Amidst growing panic over Trump's ban on Harvard's international student enrolment, overseas education consultants have this advice for Indian students.
The Trump administration is considering requiring all foreign students applying to study in the United States to undergo social media vetting, according to a report in Politico. In preparation for such required vetting, the administration is ordering US embassies and consular sections to pause scheduling new interviews for such student visa applicants. The report noted that if the administration goes ahead with the plan, it could severely slow down the processing of student visas and hurt many universities who rely heavily on foreign students to boost their financial coffers. This move comes days after the Trump administration ordered the Department of Homeland Security to terminate Harvard University's Student and Exchange Visitor Programme (SEVP) certification, a move that meant Harvard could no longer enroll foreign students.
Uncertainty clouds US fall intake as Trump's visa ban on Harvard raises fears of wider policy shifts, pushing Indian students to explore alternative destinations.
The United States Department of Homeland Security has threatened to revoke Harvard University's ability to enrol foreign students if it failed to provide by April 30 records on its international student visa holders' 'illegal and violent' activities.
Harvard University has filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration over its decision to revoke the university's certification to enroll foreign students. The lawsuit claims that the government's action is unlawful and unwarranted and that Harvard is not Harvard without its international students. The university argues that the government's decision will have a devastating effect on Harvard and its thousands of international students. The lawsuit comes a day after the Trump administration ordered the Department of Homeland Security to terminate Harvard University's Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) certification.
Indian students at Harvard, on condition of anonymity, shared their concerns and experiences of the last few months during which the prestigious university has seen relentless attacks by the Trump administration.
It took almost 24 hours for the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials to rescind the status of 600 students, mostly of Indian origin, who were declared "out of status" creating nightmare for the students of Herguan University who now face an uncertain future, reports Ritu Jha.
"On July 28, officials from ICE's Student and Exchange Visitor Programme served UNVA with a Notice of Intent to Withdraw UNVA's authorisation to admit foreign students. UNVA students should call the SEVP Response Centre at 703-603-3400 for guidance," Cori W Bassett, ICE spokeswoman told rediff.com.
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