 |
| According to research conducted by ICE, nearly 80 percent of all international students in the US are from Asia, with China and India accounting for nearly half of them.(Photo by=Gunther/EPA) |
[아시아뉴스통신=레악카나 기자] The Trump administration's abrupt changes to foreign student visa rules upended the plans of more than a million international students currently enrolled in institutions across the United States, with many fearing for their future. The directive by ICE's Student and Exchange Visitor Program is likely to hit hundreds of thousands of students, particularly from Asian countries, hard, as they will have to leave the US or face deportation.
Critics were calling the move "xenophobic" and part of President Donald Trump's hardline immigration policy. A Chinese student currently studying at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) said attending online classes will be difficult if he goes back to his home country. Many websites, including Google and Facebook, that US universities use to communicate with students, are blocked in China.
Another Indian student said”If I go back and lose my F-1 [student] visa then I will have to restart my career in India with a huge debt.” According to research conducted by ICE, nearly 80% of all international students in the US are from Asia, with China and India accounting for nearly half of them.International students contributed $45bn to the US economy during 2018, the Institute of International Education report said, citing the US Department of Commerce, according to a report by Reuters news agency.
