Such updates require timestamps as reported events are deployed quickly. It was first published on June 12th at 23:44 Central European Time.
Needless to say, headlines about current and future international students in the United States have skyrocketed over the past few weeks. Below is a summary of the latest developments over the weeks of June 2nd and June 9th.
The pause continues
On May 27, the US Department of State ordered a pause on scheduling the appointment of new interviews with student visa applicants. The commentary on orders at the time was that this was a short-term measure that would end in “the next few days.”
However, the pause continues in this sentence, and it continues to grow in the third week. With extensions to the second half of June, pausing with new interview scheduling becomes a bigger and bigger issue. The important processing period for student visas in the US is from May to August. In 2024, seven of the 10 student visas issued by the US were granted over those four months.
Writing on LinkedIn this week, NAFSA CEO Fanta AW said, “This suspension comes at a peak when at least 50% of new international students need to schedule visa interview appointments to arrive in time for the fall semester.”
NAFSA and the US for the United States are urging stakeholders to appeal to Congress to end the suspension of visa interview scheduling. It is clear that it already has an impact on registrations next year. How important that impact is dependent on how long the new visa interview pauses will last by this peak processing period.
Travel ban 2.0
On June 4th, President Trump announced his declaration to establish a new travel ban. This includes a “total ban” for citizens of 12 countries entering the United States and a “partial ban” from another seven countries.
The total banned countries are Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. The seven parts banned countries are Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela. Both categories include the prohibition of student visas for F, M and J.
Both travel ban categories apply as of June 9, 2025 to citizens of affected countries outside the United States without a valid visa. It clearly states that “immigrant or non-immigrant visas issued prior to the applicable effective date of this declaration will not be revoked in accordance with this declaration.” This means that students from countries included in the ban are not eligible for removal because they are already in the US and have a valid visa.
Of the 19 countries included in the ban, only three sent over 1,000 students to the United States in 2023/24.
Burma (3,222 students in Grade 24, 2023) Iran (12,430) Venezuela
Iran is not only the size of its current enrollment in the US, but also the growing market for the largest group of international student recruitment worldwide, and is prominently inclusive of the group as it is poised to send large numbers of students overseas in the medium to long term.
Returning to previous travel bans during the first Trump administration, the big issue here might be the signal that this sends to international markets. It is generally understood that in general (such as the affected countries) it is not open to international visitors, including students. This sentiment could be amplified in regions that are home to banned countries (such as Africa and the majority of other Muslim countries). In that sense, the effects of the ban could reach far more than they first appeared, particularly along with other recent policy announcements from the US administration.
I saw this early example when Malaysian officials said that in response to new policies affecting foreign students under President Trump, Malaysian officials would no longer send scholarship students to the United States.
Can students still go to Harvard?
The Trump administration is trapped in a fight against Harvard University. On May 22, the Department of Homeland Security revoked Harvard University's Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) accreditation. This is a move that prevents universities from registering international students. The revocation was swiftly overturned by a court order on May 23, but President Trump has since issued a presidential declaration banning students from studying at Harvard University.
“We have determined that we need to limit the entry of foreigners who are trying to participate in research courses at Harvard or exchange visitor programs hosted by Harvard University, or primarily trying to participate in the United States,” the president wrote.
The June 4th declaration clearly states that it applies to students traveling from outside the United States.
However, it also opens the door to revoking visas for students who are already enrolled in the university.
In any case, another court order also blocked the implementation of the declaration on June 5th. On June 9, CNN reported that the State Department ordered all U.S. post offices overseas to resume processing student visas for Harvard-bound applicants.
For additional background, see:
