China News Service, July 8 (Xinhua), according to the report of the Chinese website of the United States, on July 6, local time, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Bureau of the US Department of Homeland Security issued a notice that if foreign students in the fall semester of 2020 only take online courses, they will Unable to obtain a visa to the United States or maintain a current visa. This makes many Chinese students worry about the future.
ICE issued new regulations for international student groups with strong response
Under the New Coronary Pneumonia epidemic, major universities are struggling to find a way to start the fall semester. Some schools, including Harvard University and NTU, have chosen to continue teaching online out of caution. But according to the new regulations issued by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Bureau (ICE), this means that foreign students studying must leave or transfer.
Ada Xu, 27, is pursuing a master's degree in market analysis at the University of Rochester. She said: "The epidemic has made the United States insecure enough, and this policy has made the environment for international students worse. "She plans to return to China in August to complete her studies remotely.
In some American universities, international students account for more than 15% of the enrollment, and the proportion of tuition income is even higher. According to the International Education Association (IIE) data, in the 2018-19 school year, there were nearly 370,000 Chinese students enrolled in American higher education institutions, accounting for 34% of the total number of foreign students.
According to data from the US Department of Commerce, foreign students’ tuition and living expenses (including book fees) in the United States totaled US$44.7 billion in 2018, and the contribution of Chinese students accounted for one third, about US$15 billion.
After the announcement of the new regulations for student visas, Lawrence Bacow, President of Harvard University, said in a statement: "This regulation undermines the thoughtful practice of many colleges, including Harvard, for students. At the same time as the project, it is also necessary to balance the health and safety challenges brought about by the global pandemic."
The statement added: "We must do our best to ensure that our students can continue their studies without worrying about being forced to leave the country halfway, which will disrupt their academic progress, undermine the promises made by many of them and further education Sacrifices made."
Esther Brimmer, executive director and CEO of the NAFSA International Association of Educators, also criticized in a statement: "As new student enrollment declines, new American policies have hurt our academic and economic , Facing the risk of losing global talent."
Universities prepare for a sharp decline in the number of international students
Due to the epidemic, American universities are preparing for the sharp decline in the number of international students this fall, especially those from China. They are delaying their enrollment plans and even beginning to re-examine the value of American degrees.
The deterioration of the domestic epidemic in the United States has caused the United States to basically suspend the process of accepting visas. The Wall Street Journal reported that 18-year-old Iris Zhou is from Wuxi, China. She has been accepted by the University of Wisconsin-Madison, but the earliest visa appointment time she could obtain when she applied in May was in November.
The school stated on its website that it will provide larger online courses and arrange face-to-face small classes. The school declined to comment further.