With the academic year in full swing, it is important to recognize that it is not only Americans being educated in the United States, but also more than 1 million international students at universities, schools and trade academies scattered across the country. Since the beginning of the Trump administration, the federal government has taken several actions affecting the ability of many foreign students to study or continue their studies in the United States.
Overview of the Student Visa Process
By way of background, for a school to receive and educate international students, it must apply for, and be approved by, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP). The school must then perform mandatory recordkeeping of every enrolled foreign student’s course of study, accessible via the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVIS), and re-apply for the SEVP every two years. Failure to re-apply and non-compliance with recordkeeping requirements may result in termination from the SEVP, and the school would need to re-apply. Furthermore, a student who is registered in the SEVIS can have that registration terminated if they, among other reasons, engage in unauthorized employment, provide false information to the government or are convicted of a crime of violence.
If a foreign student is accepted to study at a SEVP-approved school, they would need to apply for a student visa — currently, there are three types:
- F-1 visas are for those who are accepted to study at a SEVP-approved school. It is the most general type of student visa because these students can study at a college, university, seminary, conservatory, academic high school, elementary school, other academic institution, or in a language training program.
- A J-1visa is issued to those approved to participate in exchange visitor programs approved by the U.S. Department of State, among which are designated programs of study at certain schools.
- Finally, an M-1 visa is for those accepted to study in a vocational, technical or other non-academic program.
Once a visa is issued, the Secretary of State or a consular official has the discretionary, unreviewable power to revoke the visa. In practice, the Department of State issues visas with no fixed period of stay, termed “Duration of Status” (D/S), which has allowed students flexibility to transfer schools, extend their studies, work under the Optimal Practical Training or Curricular Practical Training programs, or enroll in degree programs that last longer than a traditional 4-year bachelor’s degree education.
Policy Changes Affecting International Students Under the Trump Administration
Following President Trump’s accession into office, various policies have been implemented affecting international students.
Harvard University
On June 4, 2025, President Trump issued a proclamation suspending the entry of international students on F, J, and M visas seeking to study at Harvard University on “national security” grounds. President Trump cited his authority under the Immigration and Nationality Act to suspend entry of any class of foreigners whose entry would be detrimental to the interests of the United States. Earlier, on May 22, 2025, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security issued an intent to revoke Harvard’s SEVP certification within 30 days, preventing it from enrolling international students. On June 23, 2025, the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts issued a preliminary injunction blocking the June 5 proclamation. On June 20, 2025, the same court issued another preliminary injunction blocking the termination of Harvard University’s SEVP certification. On June 27, 2025, the government appealed the preliminary injunction of the June 5 proclamation to the First Circuit Court of Appeals, which is now pending. The government furthermore stipulated to the District Court that it would no longer apply the May 22 intent to revoke the SEVP certification on Harvard.
As of the time of this writing, the U.S. government has not issued a follow-up revocation of Harvard’s SEVP certification. As such, the preliminary injunction remains in place until the appeal is decided, the SEVP for Harvard has not been officially revoked, and Harvard can continue enrolling international students. In the meantime, the U.S. Department of State announced on July 23, 2025, that it has opened an investigation into Harvard’s continued eligibility under the SEVP program. The investigation is still ongoing, and does not appear to be interrupting Harvard’s ability to enroll international students.
Chinese Students
On May 28, 2025, the U.S. Department of State announced it will “aggressively revoke” visas of Chinese students in the United States “who are deemed to have connections to the Chinese Communist Party or studying in critical fields” and would conduct “enhanced scrutiny” for the issuance of new visas. The Department of State did not elaborate on what constituted a “critical field” or “enhanced scrutiny.” Then, on September 1, 2025, President Trump reversed the policy, saying he would allow 600,000 Chinese students into U.S. universities.
Notice of Proposed Rulemaking of “Duration of Status” Period of Stay
On August 28, 2025, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to change the Duration of Status period of stay normally issued for student visas to a fixed period not exceeding four years for F and J visas, and only up to two years for those studying in a language program. The Proposed Rule does not appear to make an exception for programs that last longer than four years. The Proposed Rule is subject to change pending public comments, which are due on September 28, 2025.
Increased Vetting and Travel Ban
Between May 27 and June 18, 2025, the U.S. Department of State temporarily suspended the processing of student visas and then implemented a policy requiring all student visa applicants to make their online social media profiles public for consular officials to access them as part of the visa screening process. The Department of State furthermore implemented a policy of “thorough vetting” of student visa applicants, but it did not elaborate any further on what standard of review it would use. Given the further screening, processing times to issue a student visa have increased at U.S. consulates, with numerous international students not getting their student visas in time for the start of the school year.
