- Scale of visa revocations unknown, although Secretary of State singles out students with connections to the Chinese Communist Party or studying in “critical fields”.
- Move to hit US institutions hard as second-largest international student cohort targeted.
- Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson blasts “political and discriminatory practice” and says complaint lodged with US.
Marco Rubio, US Secretary of State, announced plans for new visas policies, which the US Department of State claims will “put America first, not China”.
“Under President Trump’s leadership, the US State Department will work with the Department of Homeland Security to aggressively revoke visas for Chinese students, including those with connections to the Chinese Communist Party or studying in critical fields,” the statement read.
The release does not give any more details on the scope of the revocations or how they will be carried out.
When asked for further clarity at NAFSA conference 2025, department of state officials told The PIE News that they had been receiving updates at the same time as the media.
Rubio’s statement also outlined plans to “revise visa criteria to enhance scrutiny of all future visa applications from the People’s Republic of China and Hong Kong”.
Chinese students are the second largest cohort of US international students, comprising nearly 25% of new international enrolments in 2024.
China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning hit out at the move at a press conference today, saying it had seriously damaged Chinese students’ rights. She said China firmly opposed the move and had aired its grievances with the US.
“This political and discriminatory practice of the US has exposed the lie of so-called freedom and openness that the US has always advocated, and will only further damage the US’s own international image and national credibility,” she is quoted as saying by Xinhuanet.
The latest development comes amid escalating China-US tensions in recent months, driven by trade disputes originating from tariffs imposed by the Trump administration.
The development also follows the Trump administration’s decision earlier this week to suspend international student visa interviews at consulates worldwide, amid plans to broaden social media vetting of prospective students.
Global stakeholders have reacted with dismay to Rubio’s statement, with international education advisor Susan Fang, co-founder and CEO of OxBridge Holdings, expressing her view that this is not just “another round in the US-China trade war panto”.
“This is ideological. Deep-seated. And very Trump,” Fang told The PIE News.
“Trump genuinely sees himself as Captain America – protector of the realm, defender of all things red, white and blue,” she said. “In his mind, Chinese students are not simply eager learners crossing oceans for opportunity, they’re knowledge miners, hoovering up America’s best research and schlepping it back to Beijing to power up the next tech behemoth or defence system.”
“So when he says he’s doing this for the ‘greater good of America,’ I believe he absolutely means it. This isn’t a TikTok tantrum that’ll fizzle out. He’ll see it through,” she continued.
Fang, who helps prospective international students find education opportunities in the UK, said she is watching the situation unfold across the pond and predicts the UK, and other competitor markets could step in as a “rebound partner with long-term potential”.
Trump genuinely sees himself as Captain America – protector of the realm, defender of all things red, white and blue
Susan Fang, OxBridge Holdings
She says that Chinese students are already turning their backs on the US.
“We don’t need to play the fear card, they’re walking our way on their own accord. Quietly. Deliberately. Visa uncertainty, anti-China rhetoric, safety concern, it’s all adding up. And while we can’t absorb every single student suddenly ejected from the Ivy League dream, we can offer something they increasingly want: stability, safety, and an education that still commands global respect,” said Fang.
“I don’t cheer America’s visa clampdown. But as a UK-based educator and business owner, I’m ready to step in where others step back. Not to exploit, but to provide what every international student deserves: a world-class education in a country that welcomes them for who they are, not where they’re from.”
Meanwhile, a statement from education consultancy Uoffer Global said it has “observed a growing sense of uncertainty, particularly regarding studying in the US, with some families beginning to reconsider their plans due to the perceived complexity and unpredictability of the visa application process”.
“In this evolving landscape, students and their families need more guidance and a stable, supportive international learning environment than ever to make well-informed decisions that reflect both their academic ambitions and career goals,” it continued.
Earlier this year, the sector hit out at legislation proposed by Republican Congressman Riley M. Moore to halt the issuance of all student visas to Chinese nationals to stop China’s so-called “exploitation” of the US student visa program.
“Every year we allow nearly 300,000 Chinese nationals to come to the US on student visas,” said Moore. “We’ve literally invited the CCP to spy on our military, steal our intellectual property, and threaten national security.”
The Stop Chinese Communist Prying by Vindicating Intellectual Safeguards in Academia Act (Stop CCP VIASs Act) was proposed by Moore, resulting in international education stakeholders highlighting the hugely disproportionate nature of the legislation and the danger of such wide reaching exclusionary measures, including significant damage to Chinese student sentiment.
