World
US Student Visa Policy: Four Colleges Files Lawsuit Against Donald Trump Government
Lawsuit claims recent changes made in US student visa policy adversely impacts foreign students
The Donald Trump led government has been slapped with a lawsuit filed by a group of US colleges, which depend heavily on foreign students. The lawsuit has been filed against the Trump administration’s recent changes made in the US student visa policy that adversely impacts foreign students who are currently studying or are willing to study in the country.
The colleges who have filed the lawsuit are already facing a decline in the number of foreign students. This year the enrollment of such students has declined around 30 percent due to political uncertainty and rising cost of education in American institutions.
It is claimed that changes made to non-immigrant visas by US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) in August could make it easier to bar international students from the US for periods of three or 10 years if they fall out of status.
“This policy is intentionally designed to impose tens of thousands of reentry bars on F, J, and M visa holders each year,” Guilford College International Club in North Carolina, Foothill-De Anza Community College District in California, The New School from New York City, and Haverford College claimed in the lawsuit.
F, J, and M visas are issued to students and research scholars.
Notably, under the new policy, international students are more prone to the accidental acquisition of “unlawful presence” in the United States after the violation of their ‘student status’ in the country. They are given 180 days from the time it is determined their status violation began, instead of the previous practice of 180 days when they received the notification of unlawful presence. A student with ‘unlawful presence’ of over a year could result in him/her being barred for up to a span of 10 years.
It is believed that the new US student visa policy will turn out to be a major repercussion for international students in the US and also financially harm US educational institutions. Furthermore, the changes will also impact post-study employment opportunities for the students.
Sadly, Trump’s contentious issue is yet one more thing that makes being an international student away from home difficult, compounded by our complex culture and language problems. Welcoming and assimilation assistance must come from numerous sources, including the White House, to aid these young people embarking on life’s journey. Most struggle in their efforts and need guidance from schools’ international departments, immigration protection, host families, concerned neighbors and fellow students, and even informative books to extend a cultural helping hand.
Something that might help anyone coming to the US is the award-winning worldwide book/ebook “What Foreigners Need To Know About America From A To Z: How to Understand Crazy American Culture, People, Government, Business, Language and More.” Used in foreign Fulbright student programs and endorsed worldwide by ambassadors, educators, and editors, it identifies how “foreigners” have become successful in the US, including students.
It explains how to cope with a confusing new culture and friendship process, and daunting classroom differences. It explains how US businesses operate and how to get a job (which differs from most countries), a must for those who want to work with/for an American firm here or overseas.
It also identifies the most common English grammar and speech problems foreigners have and tips for easily overcoming them, the number one stumbling block they say they have to succeeding here.
Good luck to all wherever you study or wherever you come from, because that is the TRUE spirit of the American PEOPLE, not a few in government who shout the loudest! Supporters of int’l students must shout louder.