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Trump will be sworn into office on January 20 and has announced that he will sign several executive orders on the economy and immigration on his first day.
Since Donald Trump took office in 2017, the number of international students has declined every year. (Reuters file photo)
Several US universities have issued travel advisories for their international students as well as staff, urging them to return to the US ahead of President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration in January next year, amid concerns that Travel restrictions may be imposed by the administration.
Trump will be sworn into office on January 20 and has announced that he will sign several executive orders on the economy and immigration on his first day as the 47th president of the United States.
Amid concerns over disruptions caused by travel restrictions during his first term as president, several top US universities are issuing travel advisories for their international students and faculty who will be in the country in time for Trump’s inauguration. Traveling out of
According to data from the US Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, and the Institute of International Education, India and China make up half (54 percent) of all international students in the United States.
But for the first time since 2009, India topped the list with 331,602 international students in the United States in 2023/2024, reflecting a 23 percent increase over the previous year, surpassing China, according to ‘Open Doors’. According to the data of 2024 Report on International Educational Exchange.
China remained in second place despite a 4 percent drop of 277,398 students. It was the top sending country for undergraduates and non-degree students, sending 87,551 and 5,517 respectively.
David Elwell, associate dean and director of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) International Students Office, said in a post after the presidential election that with every election, “when there is a change in administration at the federal level, there are changes in policies, regulations , and legislation affecting higher education as well as immigration and visa status issues.”
Elwell urged students to review their travel plans during the upcoming winter break, noting that new executive orders under Trump could affect travel and visa processing.
In addition, election transitions also affect staffing levels at U.S. embassies/consulates abroad, which may affect entry visa processing times.
“Students who will need to apply for a new entry visa at a U.S. embassy/consulate abroad to return to the U.S. in their student status should review the possibility of experiencing any extended processing times.” must take and have a backup plan in place if they must travel abroad and have a new entry visa issued to delay any processing of students’ ability to return to the United States can affect,” Elwell said.
The Office of Global Affairs at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, recommended in an advisory that its “international community—including all international students, scholars, faculty and staff under UMass immigration sponsorship”—strictly return to the U.S. before the presidential inauguration. Consider if they are planning to travel internationally during the winter holidays.
Noting that this was not a requirement or mandate from UMass, nor was it based on any current U.S. government policy or recommendation, the university added that “given that a new presidential administration takes office The first day (Jan. 20) could implement new policies.) And based on previous experience with the travel bans enacted in the first Trump administration in 2017, the Office of Global Affairs is making this recommendation more frequently. We hope to take precautions to prevent any potential disruption to the travel of members of our international community.
“We cannot speculate about what the travel ban will look like if it goes into effect, nor can we speculate about which specific countries or regions of the world may or may not be affected. Could be.” The Wesleyan Argus, Wesleyan University’s college newspaper, said in a report that the university is “evaluating the potential future impact” of the Trump administration on international and undocumented students.
“Great uncertainty surrounds potential changes to US immigration policy that could be implemented by the Trump administration starting January 20, 2025.” The report added that Wesleyan’s Office of International Student Affairs (OISA) is “concerned about major policy changes”. It will be implemented immediately after Trump’s inauguration.
“With the presidential inauguration on Monday, January 20, 2025, and uncertainty about President-elect Donald Trump’s plans for immigration policy, the safest way to avoid difficulty re-entering the country is to must be physically present in the United States on January 19 and following days of the spring semester,” according to a Nov. 18 email to international students studying under an F-1 visa. Mail was read Report of the Wesleyan Argus.
Within a week of his first term as president, Trump signed an executive order in January 2017 that imposed a 90-day travel ban on citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries, Iraq, Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen. Therefore, entry into the United States was banned. Causing widespread disruption among communities and outrage and concerns from civil rights organizations.
(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed. PTI)
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New York, United States of America (USA)
