US eases Covid-19 restrictions on Chinese students

The Biden administration on Tuesday said it was easing restrictions on Chinese and other students travelling to the US this autumn, potentially helping colleges whose enrolments declined during the coronavirus pandemic.

The US State Department said it was expanding its national interest exemptions to cover students and academics from around the world from August 1. It made the change for European students in March.

About 372,000 Chinese accounted for 35% of international students in the US in the 2019-20 school year, according to the International Education Exchange (IEE), nearly twice as many as the second-highest, students from India.

Overall enrolments in tertiary education fell 2.5% in autumn 2020, nearly twice the decline reported in autumn 2019, according to the National Student Clearinghouse.

In January 2020, then-president Donald Trump barred nearly all non-US citizens who were in China from entering the US.

“I'm really glad the Biden administration is restoring at least some level of normalcy after the disruption by the pandemic and the horrible policies of Trump,” said Zhang, 23.

The Beijing native said he planned to pursue postgraduate studies at the University of California, Berkeley.

The American Council on Education (Ace) had pressed the administration of President Joe Biden to act quickly, saying in a letter last month it could “deliver a welcoming message to current and prospective international students, which can help restore the US as a destination of choice, as well as supporting an important economic activity as the US economy recovers from the Covid-19 pandemic.”

“This is a positive step by the US,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian told reporters on Wednesday.

“We hope the US can make proper arrangements for Chinese personnel going to the US and create favourable conditions for the resumption of personnel exchanges.”

It is still unclear whether US colleges or the US government will recognise vaccinations received by Chinese students that have not been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration. Some US schools are requiring students to be fully vaccinated before classes resume.

Another big issue has been the requirement that first-time student visa applicants have in-person interviews at US embassies and consulates. The US state department said on Tuesday it “continues to seek ways to process more visa applications, in line with science-based guidance from health authorities”.

Ace cited a study saying that the economic benefit generated by international students had declined by about $2bn during the 2019-20 academic year to about $39bn.

In the 2019 school year, Chinese students brought an estimated benefit of $16bn to the US, the IEE report said.

Jessica Yuan, 20, a sophomore at the University of Southern California, said she hoped to return before mid-August.

“I'm really looking forward to going back and meeting everyone,” said the mechanical engineering major.

“I can't believe it's been an entire year!”