The US Embassy in Beijing announced last Friday that visa processing for Chinese students would resume in May after months of delays and cancellations.

Students’ hopes of being able to spend the summer in the US are being dashed despite the expiration of the Trump-era “work visa ban”.

The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement has announced that the guidance for participation in the SEVP has rolled over from March 2020.

Stakeholders are welcoming a new rule that means exemption to Covid travel restrictions for students from August 2021, but are calling for more action - especially to address extreme visa backlogs in China.

Chinese students are facing extreme difficulty in obtaining US visa appointments, and some are heading to third countries to access services, education agencies reveal.

New York State higher education institutions have written to the US government urging it to open consulates for F-1 student visa processing and allow officers to either waive in-person interview requirements or allow online interviews.

Students hoping to study in New Zealand have been dealt a blow with Immigration New Zealand announcing it will cease processing student visa applications from applicants outside the country until further notice.

The USCIS has announced that from March 9 the H-1B visa system will be changed to prioritise applicants offered higher salaries, which stakeholders worry will "disproportionately" affect international students seeking entry level jobs in the country after graduation.