- Friday, November 29, 2024
Trump will take the oath of office on January 20 and has announced that he will sign several executive orders on issues of economy and immigration on his first day
By: Shajil Kumar
SEVERAL American universities have issued travel advisories for their international students as well as staff and urged them to return to the US before President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration in January next year amid concerns over travel bans.
Trump will take the oath of office on January 20 and has announced that he will sign several executive orders on issues of economy and immigration on his first day as the 47th President of the United States.
Amid concerns over the disruptions caused by travel bans during his first term as president, several top US universities are issuing travel advisories for their international students and faculty who may be travelling outside the country around Trump’s inauguration.
According to data from the US Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, and the Institute of International Education, India and China made up over half (54 per cent) of all international students in the United States.
But for the first time since 2009, India became the leading place of origin with 331,602 international students in the United States in 2023/2024, reflecting a 23 per cent increase from the prior year, surpassing China, according to data from the ‘Open Doors 2024 Report on International Educational Exchange’.
China was the second leading place of origin, despite a 4 per cent decline to 277,398 students. It remained the top-sending country for undergraduates and non-degree students, sending 87,551 and 5,517, respectively.
Associate Dean and Director at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) International Students Office David Elwell in a post following the presidential elections said that with every election, “when there is a change in administration on the federal level there can be changes in policies, regulations, and legislation that impacts higher education as well as immigration and visa status matters”.
Elwell urged students to assess their travel plans over the upcoming winter break, noting that new executive orders under Trump may impact travel and visa processing.
In addition, election transitions also impact staffing levels at US Embassies/Consulates abroad, which could impact entry visa processing times.
The Office of Global Affairs at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, in an advisory recommended that its “international community – including all international students, scholars, faculty and staff under UMass immigration sponsorship” strongly consider returning to the US before the presidential inauguration.
Within a week of his first term as president, Trump had in January 2017 signed an executive order banning nationals of seven Muslim-majority countries – Iraq, Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen – from entering the US for 90 days, causing massive disruptions among communities and outrage and concerns by civil rights organisations. (PTI)
