Higher-Ed Groups Warn Against Visa Restrictions for Chinese Students

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Two higher-education associations released statements on Wednesday opposing the U.S. State Department’s move to limit the length of student visas for some Chinese citizens.

The planned directive, as reported by news outlets such as Bloomberg News and The New York Times, means that the time allotted in the United States would be reduced for some Chinese citizens, and would be applied on an individual basis. The changes were part of a White House attempt to combat the alleged theft of American intellectual property by China.

The maximum amount of time given to Chinese student-visa holders is still five years, Bloomberg reported. Consular officers can now also limit or reduce the amount of time that visas are valid.

In a news release the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities urged the federal government to craft policies that do not potentially limit foreign students’ ability to attend American colleges and universities.

“We urge the administration to work with the higher-education community to formulate policies that do so without inappropriately limiting foreign students’ invaluable contributions to the country,” the release says.

Similarly, Ted Mitchell, president of the American Council on Education, wrote in a statement that the new directive could signal that the United States does not welcome international students.

“As reported, this new policy would be bad for institutions and bad for the nation,” Mitchell wrote. “While apparently aimed at Chinese students in certain STEM fields, this would have a chilling effect on our ability to attract international students from all countries.”

Correction (5/31/2018, 11:09 a.m.): According to the American Council on Education, the comments from Ted Mitchell were not in a news release but in a statement on the council’s website. This article has been updated to reflect that.

Fernanda Zamudio-Suaréz is breaking-news editor. Follow her on Twitter @FernandaZamudio, or email her at fzamudiosuarez@chronicle.com.