Visa Crackdown Puts Chinese Students In U.S Under Pressure

According to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, visa regulations would also be strengthened to scrutinize applicants from Hong Kong and China more closely. After it was announced that certain Chinese students studying in the US will have their visas revoked, they are frantically trying to determine their futures.

Some Chinese students, particularly those pursuing “important subjects” and “those with connections to the Chinese Communist Party,” will have their visas revoked by the United States, the notification said.

After India, China is the second-largest country of origin for overseas students studying in the US.

Over 270,000 international students from China made up over a quarter of all international students in the United States during the 2023–2024 academic year.

A Chinese student at Johns Hopkins University named Liqin, who requested to be identified only by his first name, called Rubio’s declaration a “new version of the Chinese Exclusion Act.”

He was referring to a statute from the 19th century that forbade Chinese citizens who were already in the US from obtaining US citizenship and from entering the country as immigrants.

At a press briefing on Thursday, May 29, China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning referred to the US decision as irrational.

“Such a politicised and discriminatory action lays bare the US lie that it upholds so-called freedom and openness,” she said, adding that Beijing had lodged a protest with Washington.

Chinese students studying abroad has long been a source of contention in the two countries’ relationship.

During Trump’s first term in 2019, China’s Ministry of Education issued a warning to students about the growing number of visa rejections and the shorter of visas in the US.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry voiced its disapproval last year after some Chinese students were unjustly detained and sent home after arriving at US airports.

Chinese official media has long promoted violent protests during the coronavirus outbreak and gun violence in the US, portraying the US as a dangerous nation where its inhabitants are not safe.

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Some Chinese students are choosing to study in the UK or other nations rather than the US as a result of the hostile bilateral relationship.

Meanwhile, Hong Kong is trying to attract talent to the city, with some keen to take advantage of the unpredictability that US international students face.

John Lee, the chief executive of Hong Kong, assured lawmakers on Thursday that the city will accept any students who have experienced discrimination due to U.S. laws.

“The students who face unfair treatment can come from different countries beyond the US. I think this is an opportunity for Hong Kong. We will work with our universities to provide the best support and assistance”, he said.

That followed a widely shared post by the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) inviting Harvard students to “continue their academic pursuits” there after Trump said he would revoke the university’s ability to accept international students.

Other Hong Kong universities including the Chinese University of Hong Kong and City University of Hong Kong also said they would streamline or facilitate applications from international students coming from top universities in the US.