[Depth] After Bi takes the stage, can international students in the United States benefit?

  [Global Times Special Correspondent in the United States Tian Qiu Global Times reporter Zhang Xueting] The new US President Biden officially took office on January 20.

For Chinese students who are studying in the United States and are still hesitating whether to study in the United States, whether the new president's coming to power will bring about a study abroad policy different from that of the Trump administration will determine their future development plans.

  Relaxing immigration policy is attractive

  During the election, Biden said that the immigration policy should be relaxed, the most notable of which is the plan to increase the number of H-1B (special professional/temporary work) visas and allow some PhDs in the United States to directly obtain permanent residency (green card) .

As early as November 2020, Bloomberg stated that the Biden administration intends to reduce the restrictions on H-1B visas and green cards, and that a large number of foreign employees who have caused visa difficulties due to the Trump administration may resolve their status issues through these policies.

  As the most important work visa category in the United States, the H-1B visa is a visa issued to people engaged in professional and technical work, and the holder generally has a higher degree of education and special professional skills.

Prior to this, the Trump administration repeatedly took the visa to "stab" it.

On January 8, 2021, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced the cancellation of the then H-1B lottery system and replaced it with a visa allocation process based on wage levels.

Once this policy is implemented, it will be difficult for newly graduated international students to have the opportunity to stay in the United States, because most recent graduates cannot compete with applicants with work experience in salary levels.

This policy mainly affects high-tech talents from India and China.

  However, at present, the above policy has not been determined whether it will be implemented. On the first day of Biden’s tenure, the White House sent a memorandum to freeze the pending regulations of various agencies that have not yet taken effect, and the new policy of allocating H-1B places according to salary levels Also included.

In other words, the new H-1B allocation policy, as a new regulation that has been issued but has not yet been implemented, will be postponed from March 9th to March 21st. During this period, the new government may affect this policy. to modify.

Although this is not welcomed by all foreigners, for Chinese students, it is a condition to attract them to continue studying in the United States.

  The Silicon Valley media "San Jose Courier" recently stated that it is not yet known whether a series of policies of the Biden administration can be implemented smoothly, but one thing is certain: There are currently 90,000 to 100,000 people in the United States holding H-1B work visas. Spouse visa (H-4 visa), and the Trump administration has tried to revoke the right of these people to work legally in the United States and make it difficult for them to obtain a green card in the United States.

According to reports, this policy will be unsustainable after Biden takes power.

According to a report from The Washington Post, Biden stated that he should directly issue green cards to PhDs in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) in the United States because they will "make the most important contribution to the development of the world economy."

Biden believes that "the loss of these highly educated and trained talents to foreign countries will harm the United States' economic competitiveness."

If this policy is implemented, PhD students in STEM will no longer need to apply for work visas, which will increase the chances of obtaining visas for masters and undergraduate degrees.

  International students still hold a wait-and-see attitude

  After experiencing the tightening visa policy in the past few years, international students expressed their expectations for the New Deal after Biden took office.

However, judging from the international students currently in the United States interviewed by a reporter from the Global Times, most people still hold a wait-and-see attitude.

Wang, a doctoral student in charge of part of the student work at the University of California, said that first of all, Biden’s policy-for example, a Ph.D. graduated in the United States can directly get a green card-is just an immature idea and has not been officially mentioned. The schedule is completely uncertain whether it will be implemented in the future.

In addition, although the New Deal that determines the distribution of work visas based on salary has been suspended, it is unknown whether or how it will be revised. Therefore, it is still unknown how many policies the Biden administration will have in the future that are beneficial to international students and how many can be implemented smoothly. .

  In addition, students of different majors also have different opinions.

Student Wang said, “It seems that even if some good news that may come true becomes reality, they are obviously more biased towards practitioners with higher academic qualifications, more popular majors, and longer time in the United States, rather than just graduated or about to Graduated international students".

Student Gu, who is studying sculpture as an undergraduate major in China and is currently hesitant to study in the United States, said that Biden's immigration policy does not provide substantial help to students majoring in liberal arts and art.

Gu is considering that after the epidemic has eased, he can go to European art universities for preparatory courses and be admitted to postgraduates. “Some European schools even offer discounts for art majors, and tuition fees are cheaper.”

Many international students hope that the Biden government can promulgate some policies that are more favorable to current students and recent graduates, such as relatively loose OPT (Work Permit for Student Visa Holders).

  Most concerned about the epidemic prevention policy and Sino-US relations

  In fact, for students studying in the United States, everyone is now more concerned about the new US policy on epidemic prevention and the development trend of Sino-US relations, which can be said to be far more important than immigration policies.

A large number of students studying in the United States cannot enter the United States and can only take online classes in China, which greatly reduces the effectiveness of their studies.

Therefore, several students interviewed are expecting Bi to "can achieve results in fighting the epidemic as soon as possible after he takes the stage, so that international students can enter the United States safely and return to campus."

Student Yu, who is currently studying in the third year of a university in Beijing that is not highly ranked, said that because of his good grades in school, the original plan was to apply for a “golden” postgraduate application in the United States after graduation. If it continues to deteriorate, this idea will be put on hold."

Now she has more than a year to graduate, usually when she begins to prepare for essays and related exams. "Now I am very anxious because I don't know if I should prepare for the domestic postgraduate exam."

  For many Chinese students who are still in the United States, especially master and doctoral students who no longer receive family support, the epidemic has affected the number of scholarships and job opportunities for many people after graduation, but it has increased living expenses.

Many of Wang’s friends and friends in the same period faced financial difficulties and expressed that “I hope that the next time the US government’s bailout money will be given to international students, international students will be eligible to receive it.” I hope that the US government’s support for education and schools will increase so that schools There are more funds and positions to help international students complete their studies and find jobs."

  In addition, Sino-US relations are still one of the biggest factors in students' willingness to study in the United States.

During Trump’s tenure, Sino-US relations began to become tense, and some Chinese students in relatively sensitive majors began to worry that their scientific research in the United States would be hindered and restricted, and even endangered personal safety. Their family members also had the same concerns.

Student Wang said that before Trump took office, “almost no one had such concerns and never felt that they were treated differently”.

She said that the surrounding Chinese students generally hope that after Bi takes the stage, the attitude of the United States towards international students and researchers "can return to the normal state in the past", so that everyone can study and work in a safer, free and relaxed environment.