As Trump cracks down on student visas, other nations see opportunity

London: In China, wait times for US visa interviews are so long that some students have given up. Universities in

Hong Kong are fielding transfer inquiries from foreign students in the US, and international applications for British undergraduate programs have surged.

President Donald Trump’s administration has been pressuring US colleges to reduce their dependence on international

enrolment while adding new layers of scrutiny for foreign students as part of its crackdown on immigration.

The US government has sought to deport foreign students for participating in pro-Palestinian activism.

In the spring, it abruptly revoked the legal status of thousands of international students, including some whose only brush with law enforcement was a traffic ticket.

After reversing course, the government paused new appointments for student visas while rolling out a process for screening applicants’ social media accounts.

The US remains the first choice for many international students.