Ohio State international students now face uncertainty with visa applications paused and countries on a travel ban. Credit: Zachary Rilley | Former Photo Editor
Now is an uncertain time for international students. After the federal government set a travel ban on over a dozen countries, students worldwide may be unable to attend Ohio State during the next school year.
Effective June 9, people from 19 countries, mainly in Africa and the Middle East, are prohibited from traveling to the United States, according to the AP. This may affect how some international students can return for the fall semester.
Chris Booker, university spokesperson, said in an email that Ohio State is “monitoring the situation but it’s premature to speculate on the impact of this decision.”
The university said that the ban affects those outside the country who do not have a valid visa issued before June 9. Those who are still in the United States and have a valid visa “are generally not subject to the ban,” according to their website.
If people have concerns about their visa application or renewal, the offices recommend avoiding international travel.
Additionally, the U.S. Department of State announced on May 27 that they will be pausing new visa interviews to prepare for increased social media vetting for potential visa holders, according to the AP.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the next day the department will also begin to “aggressively revoke” Chinese students’ visas, according to the AP.
In spring 2024, 3,088 Chinese international students were enrolled at the university. Students from other countries make up almost 8% of the Columbus campus, according to Ohio State’s 2024 enrollment report, and 9.4% of the university’s total population, according to prior Lantern reporting.
The National Association of Foreign Advisors (NAFSA) said international students contribute about $301 million to the U.S. economy. With a $43,000 international tuition rate, Ohio State was estimated to make $306.6 million from students of other countries in the 2023-24 school year, according to reporting from Axios.
The university recommends that students currently abroad stay in “contact with the U.S. embassy or consulate where they plan to apply or renew their visas.” New incoming international students are encouraged to arrive in the U.S. and complete the “required immigration check-in” with the Office of International Affairs by Aug. 19.
Cesar Garcia Hernandez, an Ohio State law professor specializing in immigration, said prospective students are usually denied if they are considered a security risk, but not all crimes meet that criterion.
“Basically they look both in U.S. and foreign country databases to see whether or not somebody has a criminal history that suggests possible security safety risk in the United States,” Garcia Hernandez said. “Motor vehicle violations, for example, aren’t typically treated as presenting a public safety threat.”
With the additional social media vetting, Garcia Hernandez said it is no longer just criminal records that applicants need to be wary of.
“They’re trying to get a sense of what political opinions applicants for student visas have expressed, or their associates have expressed, as a way of imposing an ideological litmus test on who can get into the United States for purposes of studying at a college or university,” Garcia Hernandez said.
The state department has the power to revoke student visas under three requirements, according to Garcia Hernandez. The first is if the state department has granted a waiver of the application interview. The second option is if Congress grants a particular student permanent resident status, and the last is if the federal government publishes an official notice in the Federal Register about a student they believe to be a national, diplomatic or public safety concern.
He does not know of any students whose visas have been revoked for these three reasons.
According to Insider Higher Ed, over 1,800 visas of international students were revoked as of April 24. At least 11 international Ohio State students had their F-1 visas revoked as of April, per prior Lantern reporting.
One student, Ahwar Sultan, a second-year graduate student in comparative studies, filed a lawsuit on April 15 claiming his visa was unconstitutionally revoked after participating in pro-Palestinian protests on campus, per prior Lantern reporting. The case was dismissed on June 16 due to a lack of jurisdiction.
Background
According to the university’s website, the state Department has requested social media information on visa applications since 2019.
However, this is not the first time the Trump administration has imposed a form of social media vetting. These screenings were mainly targeted at students who may have participated in pro-Palestinian protests, according to a report from Politico.
Harvard is one of the first schools targeted for this new “pilot program.” In an article by Politico, a message signed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that officers should “conduct a complete screening of the online presence of any nonimmigrant visa applicant seeking to travel to Harvard University for any purpose.”
The “pilot program” is meant to address antisemitism or anti-semitic viewpoints, according to the message from Rubio.
This article was updated June 19 at 11:53 a.m. to correct the attribution to the university.
