Last week, ICE agreed to allow international students to stay in the U.S. even if their schools opted for online-only learning this fall. But U.S. consulate offices — where visa applicants are interviewed — are closed. And it's unclear when they'll open.
There's a lot Andy Tu was looking forward to as a freshman at Claremont McKenna College, a small private college in California. He imagined having intellectual debates on the quad and meeting"highly motivated, open-minded friends." Coming from an environment that's"intolerant of unconventional ideas," he says he was looking forward to being able to express himself freely on campus. He'd even been daydreaming about learning how to surf.
But every morning he wakes up at home in Shanghai, he feels like that iconic American freshman year is slipping further and further away.Due to the pandemic, many international students who are starting a graduate program or their freshman year, like Tu, face a series of hurdles — travel restrictions, limited flights and closed U.S. consulate offices — that make it incredibly difficult to start the fall semester at U.S. colleges.
The biggest hurdle for students like Tu is acquiring a student visa. U.S. consulate offices, where students go for an in-person interview, are closed — it's unclear when they'll reopen. Tu has heard that he may not be able to get a visa until October in Shanghai. Even if he can get a visa, travel restrictions will make it difficult for him to make his way to the U.S. The State Department has currently barred travelers coming directly from China.
Students come to the U.S. from all over the world, but China and India send the most. In 2019, there were more than 350,000 Chinese international students in U.S. colleges and universities. And because they often pay full-tuition, that translates to big money for schools: international students studying in the U.S. contributed $41 billion during the 2018-2019 academic year, according to anColleges are bracing for the possibility that their students won't make it to campus.
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