Students and educators expressed relief and joy after the U.S. government withdrew a rule requiring international students to be on campus this autumn or risk losing their visa status. Since last week, students and educators have been immersed in confusion and anxiety, they said, over the uncertainty of whether they would be allowed to attend their classes online…
Trump Administration Rescinds Rule on Foreign Students
Facing eight federal lawsuits and opposition from hundreds of universities, the Trump administration on Tuesday rescinded a rule that would have required international students to transfer or leave the country if their schools held classes entirely online because of the pandemic. The decision was announced at the start of a hearing in a federal lawsuit in…
US Visa Changes Create Panic Among Indian Students
With leases signed, tickets booked, deposits paid, and about a month for schools to reopen, the recent U.S. directive requiring F-1 student visa holders to be on campus this fall has hung a looming cloud of uncertainty over Indian students. The announcement by U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) last week that international students…
Over 200 US Universities Challenge ICE Guidelines on Foreign Students
Over 200 universities have signed briefs in support of Harvard and MIT’s lawsuit challenging a U.S. guideline to not grant visas to international students whose coursework will be all online. Fifty-nine schools, including Stanford and Duke, filed a brief Monday in support of the suit, saying the new guidelines forces schools to “choose between opening their…
In US, International Students Face Uncertainty Over New Visa Rules
It’s still unclear if many U.S. students will head back to schools and universities at the beginning of the school year. But the situation is graver for international students. Lesia Bakalets has the story, narrated by Anna Rice.Camera: Yuriy Zakrevskiy …
Dozens of US Universities Support Challenge to Trump’s Order on Foreign Students
About 60 U.S. universities on Sunday filed a brief supporting a lawsuit by two others, seeking to block a Trump administration rule barring foreign students from remaining in the country if educational institutions don’t hold in-person classes this fall.The lawsuit was filed by Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) on Wednesday in a…
Black Students Afraid to Return to Kansas State University After Racist Tweet
Many Black students at Kansas State University are afraid to return to school after a white student made a racist tweet about George Floyd, a Black man who died while in police custody in Minneapolis.Jaden McNeil tweeted, “Congratulations to George Floyd on being drug free for an entire month!” A statement that drew support from national…
Court Decision Postponed on Federal Rule Targeting Foreign Students
A federal judge postponed taking action Friday in a lawsuit filed by two universities against the U.S. government, while the state of California filed a separate lawsuit over federal guidance that foreign students who take online-only classes will lose their immigration status.U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs announced she would wait until next week to decide…
International Students in Limbo Following New Visa Guidance
New guidelines introduced this week by U.S. immigration will require international students to leave the U.S. if they do not attend class on campus in person. But students already in the U.S. on F-1 visas will face challenges trying to go home amid a global pandemic. Esha Sarai has more.Producer: Esha Sarai. Videographers: Esha Sarai,…
Foreign Students Caught Between COVID-19 and ICE
Pat Janyamethakul, a Thai student at Virginia Tech, wanted to attend college in the U.S. because of “the country’s reputation in higher education.” The senior says that earning a degree here would “set her apart” from her peers back in Thailand.Rafael Lima, a Brazilian student, has one more year to go at Wake Forest University…
Trump: Health Guidelines for School Reopenings ‘Very Impractical’
President Donald Trump rebuffed the country’s health experts on Wednesday, saying their recommendations for schools to reopen in the coming weeks in the face of the surging coronavirus pandemic are too tough, expensive and “very impractical.” Trump, who on Tuesday pressed the country’s 50 state governors and local school officials to restart in-person classes in August…
Harvard, MIT Sue to Block ICE Rule on International Students
Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday against the U.S. government over a policy change that would require international students to be on campus in person for classes this fall or lose their immigration status. US Universities Brace for Big Decline in International StudentsLatest policy from immigration agency says…
Physician Named University of California’s First Black President
Dr. Michael Drake was chosen Tuesday to be president of the University of California, the first Black leader in the system’s 150-year history.Drake, a seasoned university administrator, replaces Janet Napolitano in overseeing a sprawling, 280,000-student system dealing with issues of accessibility for Blacks and other minorities along with slashed budgets and upended campus life because…
What Is Known about ICE’s Rule Change for Foreign Students
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced this week that international students enrolled in U.S. colleges and universities that switch to online-only courses will have to leave the country or risk deportation. Here’s an overview of what is known about the most recent changes to the Student and Exchange Visitor Program during the pandemic. How many colleges and universities are planning online-only classes?Nine percent of 1,090…
US Universities Brace for Big Decline in International Enrollment
Universities preparing for big declines in international enrollment and revenues will be further depressed by a federal decision to strip students of their visa status if they do not attend college and university in person this fall. “Active students currently in the United States enrolled in such programs must depart the country or take other measures,…
Facebook, Others Block Requests on Hong Kong User Data
Social media platforms and messaging apps including Facebook, WhatsApp, Telegram, Google and Twitter will deny law enforcement requests for user data in Hong Kong as they assess the effect of a new national security law enacted last week.Facebook and its messaging app WhatsApp said in separate statements Monday that they would freeze the review of…
Drastic Declines Expected in Foreign Students in US
Universities preparing for big declines in international enrollment and revenues will be further depressed by a federal decision to strip students of their visa status if they do not attend college and university in person this fall. “Active students currently in the United States enrolled in such programs must depart the country or take other measures,…
New Rules: Foreign Pupils Must Leave US If Classes Go Online
International students will be forced to leave the U.S. or transfer to another college if their schools offer classes entirely online this fall, under new guidelines issued Monday by federal immigration authorities. The guidelines, issued by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, provide additional pressure for universities to reopen even amid growing concerns about the recent spread…
40% of Harvard Students to Return to Campus for Remote Classes
Harvard University will allow 40% of its student population back on campus this fall, though all instruction will remain remote, the school announced Monday. Harvard had previously announced that all classes would be held remotely through the fall semester due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but on Monday announced it would welcome back to campus first-year students…
This Voter Group Could Sway 2020 Election
Ian Martens, a rising junior at Furman University in South Carolina, says President Donald Trump has “done a great job building our economy up,” and he likes the fact that Trump “stands up for Second Amendment rights,” or the right to bear arms. “Most importantly, he is the most pro-life president,” Martens told VOA, calling that political issue for him “a…
Activist Leaves Hong Kong After New Law to Advocate Abroad
Prominent Hong Kong democracy activist Nathan Law has left the city for an undisclosed location after testifying in a U.S. congressional hearing about a tough new security law imposed by mainland China on the semi-autonomous territory. Law, who declined to disclose his whereabouts for safety, said in an interview with The Associated Press on Friday…
Anti-Racism Protests Spark Conversations Within Chinese Immigrant Families
Twenty-year-old Eileen Huang is an English major at Yale University. Growing up in a Chinese immigrant family in a small town in New Jersey, racism in the United States was a topic she rarely discussed with her parents. But earlier this month, her open letter, Wally Ng, a member of the Guardian Angels, patrols with…
Identity Theft Offers Path to College for Well-Connected Chinese Students
Chunxiu Chen, the daughter of poor farmers, had set her heart on a college education that could lift her into the higher ranks of Chinese society. She studied hard and thought she had performed well on the all-important entrance examination but failed to earn a slot in a college or even the ability to see her…
Dreamers Happy But Wary About SCOTUS Ruling
Young undocumented immigrants, higher education groups and college officials praised the recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that protects those young people from deportation. The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program has allowed young immigrants — who have been in the U.S. since childhood but lack legal status — to work and study without the threat of deportation since…
BLM Turns Inward to Ask About LGBTQ Bias
New hashtags are circulating in the #Black Lives Matter movement to include Black lives that have been historically marginalized within the community: #Black LGBTQ Lives Matter.“I hope when y’all are out here screaming ‘Black Lives Matter’ that you are talking about ALL black lives, and by all black lives, I mean black women, black men,…
Chinese Exchange-Student Valedictorian Becomes Backyard Prom King
China sends more students to study in the U.S. than any other country – over 300,000 a year. Some young Chinese attend U.S. high schools to be more prepared for a U.S. college or university. VOA’s Bronwyn Benito has the story of one student’s journey living and learning in America. …
Toughest Workout During COVID? Staying Motivated
Hannah Gjerde starts her day at her hot-mat yoga class on the front lawn of her parent’s home, right before settling onto the couch for the rest of the day. “Being home makes it hard because my dad will be in the kitchen working, or it’s too crowded in my room to do it,” says Gjerde. Because of…
During COVID, High School Students Find Other Ways to Celebrate End of Senior Year
They are an unorthodox generation. The class of 2020 was born while the United States was still reeling from the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States. Their world has been filled with unpredictability since day one.Members of the class of 2020 finish their senior year of high school after being confined to their…