Recently, the presidents of 17 universities in the New York area, including Columbia University, New York University, Cornell University, the University of Rochester, Stony Brook University, Fordham University, The New School, and others, jointly wrote to the U.S. Department of State and the Department of Homeland Security, urging the U.S. government to:
"Immediately take steps to resume visa services, consider lifting the travel ban for international students, and ensure that international students can successfully return to campus for the fall semester."
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U.S. Universities Hope to Ensure Chinese Students' Return in Fall
The letter underscored the importance of international students to U.S. universities and specifically mentioned the dire situation facing Chinese students. University officials stated: “U.S. embassies and consulates in China have ceased processing F-1 student visas for over 13 months!”
New York State has long been a key destination for international students, who contribute significantly to the state's economy—bringing in $5 billion and supporting 58,000 jobs.
Given that U.S. embassies and consulates worldwide are closed or operating at reduced capacity, New York universities planning to resume in-person classes in the fall have recognized the severity of the problem and are eager to help international students resolve the urgent issue of F1 visas as soon as possible.
April and May are critical months for visa processing for the fall 2021 semester. The 17 universities also explicitly stated their demands to the U.S. government:
1. Open F1 visa appointments and processing at U.S. embassies and consulates in China, aligning with the progress in other countries.
2. If consulates cannot safely reopen in the spring to process visas in time, allow consular officers to grant visa waivers or conduct online visa interviews.
3. Consider granting special exemptions from the travel ban for international students.
U.S. Universities Resume In-Person Classes
Most U.S. universities have announced that they will resume in-person classes for the fall semester.
Universities such as Cornell and Rutgers have announced that they will require students to be fully vaccinated before returning to campus.
New York University stated that, barring unforeseen circumstances, it will resume in-person instruction for the 2021-22 academic year and is already planning face-to-face classes for this fall.
Back in January, the University of California system, comprising 10 campuses in the west, had already decided to help nearly 300,000 students return to campus this fall.
U.S. universities are highly confident about resuming in-person classes in fall 2021, thanks in large part to the nationwide vaccination rollout.
Currently, 20% of the U.S. population has been fully vaccinated.
President Biden also stated on Tuesday that all adults in the U.S. will be eligible for vaccination by April 19.
While vaccines are widely available in the U.S. and universities are meticulously planning for fall in-person classes, the visa and entry issues for international students remain unresolved, causing great anxiety among universities and other organizations.
Collective Pressure Builds, Significant Progress Expected Soon
The American Council on Education (ACE) petitioned the U.S. government as early as March, urging them to take swift measures to help international students return to campus this fall.
Aviation and tourism industry leaders, including U.S. airlines, the U.S. Travel Association, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, also jointly petitioned the Biden administration in March, demanding a plan within five weeks to lift the year-long restrictions on international travel.
During recent talks in Anchorage, U.S. and Chinese officials discussed travel and visa matters, indicating both sides are working toward normalizing travel between the two countries.
Visa and entry issues for international students have become a top priority for U.S. universities. With the urging of higher education institutions and various stakeholders, we believe these issues will be resolved as quickly as possible.
We hope the pandemic era will soon be behind us, everything will return to normal, and we can all once again enjoy the true campus experience.
CheersYou（清柚教育） will continue to follow policy updates and bring you the latest news.
