
‘Time is of the essence’: Pause on international student visa interviews sends schools on another Trump-induced scramble
CNN
At Mount Holyoke College, a liberal arts school some 90 miles west of Boston, administrators have few answers so far for their perspective international students who are no longer certain they will be allowed to study in the US.
At Mount Holyoke College, a liberal arts school some 90 miles west of Boston, administrators have few answers so far for their perspective international students who are no longer certain they will be allowed to study in the US. The Trump administration’s order directing US missions to pause new visa interviews for international students has thrust schools into a scramble to assess the impact on institutions and their students. “This is supposed to be a celebratory time where they’re looking forward to coming to the United States, going here for their education, and suddenly, all of that’s, you know, been thrown up in the air,” said Kavita Khory, a professor of politics at Mount Holyoke and director of the school’s center for global initiatives. The women’s college admitted 140 international students for the upcoming academic year, but only about 50 of those students have received their visas, Khory said. The majority are in limbo for appointments. “And even if they have secured appointments, it’s not clear that they’ll get their visas,” Khory said. Mount Holyoke’s situation is true for many colleges and universities. But with few answers, and amid heightened concerns about being critical of the Trump administration’s actions, few schools are willing to discuss it. CNN reached out to 50 schools and heard from fewer than 10 about how they are handling this period of uncertainty.

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