After a court decision blocked an earlier directive restricting visas, the U.S. government has instructed its embassies and consulates worldwide to begin issuing student and exchange visitor visas for people planning to study or conduct research at Harvard University.
The US State Department disclosed this in a diplomatic cable on Friday, saying:
In accordance with the previously released presidential proclamation, “consular sections must resume processing of Harvard University student and exchange visitor visas with immediate effect,” and they were also directed that “no such applications should be refused.”
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The order followed US District Judge Allison Burroughs’ temporary restraining order (TRO), which stopped the Trump administration’s most recent attempt to limit foreign students’ access to the country so they could attend Harvard University.
The court case is still ongoing.
The Trump administration and Harvard University are still engaged in a legal battle over limitations on international student visas.
The court case goes on even though the TRO temporarily halts the proclamation’s enforcement. Next week, a significant hearing is planned to further discuss the disagreement.
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Judge Burroughs was previously told by Harvard that visa applicants were facing denials and delays, which increased the case’s urgency.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio signed the diplomatic cable, which stressed that the restoration to “standard processing” was “in accordance with the TRO,” indicating that the State Department was following the court’s ruling.
The purpose of the training is to reassure overseas students that the limitations previously imposed by the presidential proclamation.
What you should know
The U.S. government started canceling the visas of over 1,400 international students from 240 universities, including Harvard, in April, according to a report by Nairametrics.
These measures, which targeted participants in college pro-Palestine demonstrations, indicated a more forceful strategy to examine activism by international students.
- Under Secretary Kristi Noem, the Department of Homeland Security increased pressure on Harvard by rescinding two $2.7 million grants and threatening to revoke the university’s ability to accept international students if it failed to produce documentation of what she called the “illegal and violent activities” of certain foreign student visa holders at the university.
- The institution cautioned that such a move might result in fewer students receiving financial help and the forced suspension of some crucial medical research initiatives.
- The Trump administration swiftly turned that threat into reality by taking away Harvard’s ability to accept foreign students through the Student and Exchange Visitor Program. In order to avoid losing their legal status, students who are currently enrolled as international students must transfer.
As part of a larger effort to impose more stringent social media screening for international applicants, the United States expanded its visa scrutiny in late May by temporarily stopping the scheduling of new student visa interviews at embassies and consulates across the globe.
This action was taken just days after a federal judge reversed a DHS attempt to prevent Harvard University from accepting overseas students.
Read Also: How to get loans to study in the USA and Canada
