What's happening to international students in the US currently?

A State Department-halted suspension of new student visa interviews in the United States is now in its third week, with no end in sight. The move happens at a sensitive period for international students, since the May–August period includes 70% of all US student visas issued per annum.

NAFSA CEO Fanta Aw penned on LinkedIn this week, "This suspension occurs at the worst possible time when at least 50% of new international students still have to make visa interview appointments in an effort to arrive on time for the fall semester."

The delays in student visas are part of a larger change in US policy. On June 4, President Trump rolled out a new travel ban impacting 12 countries. Twelve countries—Iran, Libya, and Somalia—are subject to a complete entry ban.These restrictions entail prohibitions on granting F, M, and J category student visas to citizens of the targeted countries who are not inside the US on June 9 with a valid visa.

The White House insists that valid visas already issued will remain intact. Yet the action is being read around the world as an indication that the US is becoming more closed to international students. Malaysia, for example, has countered by suspending scholarship programmes to send its students to the US.

In the meantime, there have been escalating legal conflicts between the Trump administration and Harvard University. On May 22, Harvard's SEVP certification was revoked by the Department of Homeland Security. That ruling was overruled in court the following day. Yet on June 4, President Trump released a proclamation denying entry to foreign students into the US to attend Harvard.