US Limiting Visas for International Chinese STEM Students: Will You Be Affected?

As reported by Associated Press, the Trump administration intends to decrease “the length of validity for some visas issued to Chinese citizens.” According to the State Department spokesperson, these measures are to be taken to prevent the alleged “theft of US intellectual property by Beijing.”

At that, the process of visa application won’t change, but Chinese students or citizens working in tech fields will have to put some effort into getting a visa under the new changes.

Why Is USA Imposing Student Visa Limitations: Key Reasons

The changes announced by Trump back in December 2017, are a part of US National Security Strategy. The document has mentions of future visa limitations to be imposed on Chinese STEM students. Imposing visa limitations for Chinese students is related to several economic reasons.

• As reported by the Guardian, this is done as an attempt to reduce $337B US trade deficit.
• 25% tariff is to be imposed on $50B of Chinese goods containing "industrially significant technology."  

Student Visa Limitations: Key Facts

Here’s what Chinese students should know about the new limitations:

• Starting June 11, 2018, visas granted to Chinese citizens may be limited by US consulate officers instead of being automatically issued at the maximum possible duration.
• Chinese graduates can only get 1-year visas if they’re majoring in robotics, high-tech manufacturing, or aviation. The indicated areas happen to be the areas indicated by Beijing as national priorities (see Made in China 2025 strategic plans.)
• In case a Chinese citizen is employed as a researcher or manager for one of the companies on the US Commerce Department list, a visa request will require special clearance from several US agencies.

On the contrary to aggressive US visa policies UAE will introduce 10-Year visas for international students employed in medicine, science, research and technical fields.