With the Taliban Except for women from university In her hometown of Afghanistan, Bahara Sahari turned to pursuing higher education in the United States.
The 21-year-old Sahari practiced English for up to eight hours a day for several years, eventually earning an offer to study business administration at a private liberal arts college in Illinois. She was hoping to arrive this fall, but her plans have gone off track again, this time President Donald Trump’s travel ban.
“You think at last you’ll go to your dreams, and then something happens, and so, everything’s gone,” Sagari said.
Thousands of students are among those affected by the Trump administration Travel bans and restrictions for citizens from 19 countriesIncludes many people who feel left out after investing a considerable amount of time and money to come to the US.
Some international students are It will not appear on American campuses This fall, despite offers to enter for Logjams with visa applications, the Trump administration was late during the rollout this summer. Additional examinations. Others had Second thought Because the government’s crackdown on immigration has become widespread Sudden ending of the legal status of some students.
But no one faces a greater obstacle than being hit by a travel ban. Last year, the State Department issued over 5,700 F-1 and J-1 visas (used by foreign students and researchers) to people in 19 travel ban countries from May to September. More than half of the approved visas have been issued to Iran and Myanmar citizens.
The US is still the first option for many students
Pouya Karami, a 17-year-old student from Shiraz, Iran, has focused the university search completely in the US, and he said other countries have not offered the same research opportunities in science. He had planned to study polymer chemistry this fall at Pittsburgh State University in Kansas, but had to shelve those plans due to a travel ban.
Karami has postponed entry until next year, reducing hope. He is still preparing for an interview with the embassy and reaching out to American politicians to reconsider travel ban restrictions on students.
“I’m doing everything I can about it,” he said.
A complete travel ban will affect citizens from 12 countries across Africa, Asia, the Middle East and the Caribbean. However, it blocks most people from getting a new visa Some citizens in banned countries are exemptedgreen card holders, double citizens, some athletes, etc. The other seven countries have stricter restrictions that apply to student visas as well.
When Trump announced the travel ban in June, he cited high visa overreach rates and national security threats from volatile or hostile foreign governments as reasons to place the country on its list. He called part of the country’s screening process “sufficients” and said the ban would be maintained until “identified insufficiency” is addressed.
Hopeful for a large family to ride a student
In Myanmar, the family of one 18-year-old student made education a top priority and saved their salary to go abroad for university. They put stability at risk, so he will have the opportunity to live a better life, said the student who asked him to be identified by his nickname, Gu, as he is worried that he will be targeted by Myanmar or the US government to express his criticism.
It exploded with congratulatory emojis when he shared a screenshot of his acceptance letter to the University of South Florida in a family group chat, Goo said. He was waiting for his visa appointment to be announced one night when his mother woke up to him and asked him about the news of a US travel ban. Soon, his plans to study at USF this fall were ruined.
Many students of his age in Myanmar have It’s been drafted Since the military expelled elected civilian governments in 2021, they have joined the military or resistance groups. While the Civil War was raging, he looked forward to simple freedoms such as walking to school and playing sports himself.
“This breaks my heart because I was all for us,” said Gu Gu, who was unable to postpone his acceptance.
With US doors closed, students are looking for other places
Sagari, an Afghan student, postponed the appointment of a July visa interview in Pakistan to August after learning of the travel ban, but ultimately cancelled it. Knox College denied her request to postpone her admission.
She’s later Applies to European schools However, I ran into problems with the entrance process. German universities told Sahri that their previous scores had expired and they needed to take another English proficiency test, but taking the test for the first time was already a challenge in the political situation in Afghanistan.
She was accepted to a Polish university on the condition that she would pay tuition in advance. She said her application is under review as the school examines her high school degree.
Amir, a 28-year-old Iranian graduate, refused to provide his last name for fear of being targeted, but was unable to travel to the United States to acquire his status as a visiting scholar. Instead, he continues to work as a researcher in Tehran, saying it is difficult to concentrate after missing out on a fully funded opportunity to conduct research at the University of Pennsylvania.
His professor at Penn has postponed the appointment of his research until next year, but said Amir feels like a “shot in the dark.”
He has seen research opportunities in Europe, but he needs more time to spend on applications and potential time learning new languages. He said he would still like to be among us, but he is not optimistic that the country’s foreign policy will change.
“You lose this idealistic view of the world. As you think, if I’m working hard, if I’m talented, if I’m contributing, I basically have a place where you want to be, somewhere else,” he said. “And you learn that, no, people may not want you there. That’s a bit difficult to deal with.”
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Todd Feathers contributed to this report.
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