Overview

• Secretary of State Marco Rubio has directed the State Department to work with DHS to aggressively revoke visas for Chinese nationals with alleged ties to the Chinese Communist Party or studying in designated critical fields.
• All student visa interviews worldwide are paused as the government implements enhanced social media vetting and stricter screening procedures for applicants.
• Harvard University obtained a federal injunction blocking DHS’s revocation of its certification to enroll international students and has sued the administration, which has responded by broadening a visa audit to include all noncitizen visas at the campus.
• Beijing lodged formal diplomatic protests against the U.S. measures, warning that the visa restrictions endanger academic exchanges and bilateral cooperation.
• Over 277,000 Chinese students studied in the U.S. in 2023-24 and international students contributed more than $50 billion to the U.S. economy in 2023, prompting growing anxiety and transfer requests among affected scholars.