The Trump administration in the US is planning to revoke visas for certain Chinese students.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced in a statement that the State Department and Department of Homeland Security will work aggressively to revoke visas for Chinese students, including those with connections to the Chinese Communist Party or studying in critical fields.
Additionally, the department will revise visa criteria to enhance scrutiny of all future visa applications from China and Hong Kong.
China currently holds the second-highest number of international students pursuing higher education in the United States in 2023/2024, with 277,398 students, according to the Institute of International Education.
In an Oval Office address on Wednesday, Rubio emphasized the importance of ensuring that foreign students are individuals who can genuinely love and contribute to the country.
It has been reported that the administration has expanded social media vetting of foreign students and is actively seeking to increase deportations and revoke student visas as part of its broader efforts to align with the president’s hardline immigration agenda.
On Tuesday, the administration ordered US embassies to halt all student visa applications as part of the president’s crackdown on America’s higher education industry.
Rubio directed officials to cease scheduling appointments with student visa applicants in preparation for the implementation of a social media vetting process.
The cable states that, effective immediately, consular sections should refrain from adding any additional student or exchange visitor (F, M, and J) visa appointment capacity until further guidance is issued, which is anticipated in the coming days.
