Students in Berlin unsettled: Trump stops USA visas!
Students in Berlin unsettled: Trump stops USA visas!
Berlin, Deutschland - Political uncertainty and tightened visa rules of the Trump government are currently causing great uncertainty among students in Berlin and Brandenburg. Many canceled their planned semesters abroad in the United States. At the Humboldt University, for example, 10 out of 40 students rejected their travel plans, at the Free University there are 2 out of more than 40, and 1 out of 29 students canceled at the Technical University. The reasons for these cancellations are diverse and range from personal concerns to the political development in the USA.
Legislative people are particularly affected, including a transperson that has been canceled at the Technical University. At the University of the Arts (UDK), however, 14 students continue to plan a semester abroad in the United States, and at the University of Economics and Laws there are 17. So far, no students have canceled their plans there, and the UDK does not advise their students to cancel and wait for the time being.Visa illustrations and guidelines of the US government
like ZDF , the US government under Donald Trump has suspended the procedures for student visa. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has ordered that for the time being there will be no new Visa appointments for categories f, m and j. Among other things, this affects foreign students and participants in exchange programs. Although there are already agreed appointments, the tightening of the checks is still worrying.
Background of these measures is a stricter examination of the social media of visa applicants. The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) observes the situation and is waiting for official explanations of the US government, while university rectors confer to concerns about uncertainty for international students and recommends to wait for official information.
effects on the German university landscape
The effects of the visa discussion are already noticeable. Over 9,200 German students studied in the United States in 2023/2024, a development that may be at risk from the new regulations, since about 10 percent of international students have already left the United States. An estimate indicates that affected universities, such as the Technical University of Munich, have to consider alternative semesters abroad. The TUM has 14 partner universities in the USA and supports its students, who have not reported any direct cancellations.
Matthias Anbuhl, CEO of the German Studies, and Lambert T. Koch, President of the German University Association, warn of the long-term consequences of the visa suspension and emphasize the endangerment of research projects and international collaborations. The University of Hamburg is currently examining how many of its students are actually affected by Visa stop and is in contact with them.
The coming weeks could be crucial for the international academic exchange. Universities in Germany have to adapt and position Germany as an attractive goal for international students in order to cushion the negative effects of US politics. The Science Council and the German Research Foundation are affected and emphasize the importance of multinational cooperation for scientific progress.
The university rector conference therefore recommends that you find out comprehensive information from the International Office of your own university in order to be able to react to the rapidly changing conditions. The developments are still being followed carefully, while the international study landscape is faced with major challenges.
More information on the effects of the new visa regulations can be found in the articles of rbb24 and Rnd
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| Ort | Berlin, Deutschland |
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