The COVID-19 situation has created a pandemic situation across the globe. There are a lot of sectors who are suffering but the education sector especially the international students are suffering the most. The classes might shift to online and the students are asked to leave back to their home countries.
The situation has become more intense as they will have to travel long to their desired destinations that might lead to risks due to Corona Virus.
The US Immigration Customs and Enforcement say that the students might have to leave the US as the colleges might switch to online classes. The US department of state will not issue any visas to the students who are enrolled in schools or programs that are fully online for the fall semester. Neither the US customs and borders protection will allow the students to enter the United States.
If the students don’t have any personal classes in the US, they even might have to risk deportation. As the sources say that there are almost 1000 international students that come every year to study in the US. The students are in anxiety waiting for what will happen as some of them might never return.
One of the students named Valeria Mendiola who is studying at Harvard bursts out in frustration during an interview. She says that “we work hard all our lives to get into Harvard for the in-person experience with these top universities. What will happen to this once the classes are shifted online”. She also mentions about the quality of classes might fall because the teaching in-person might be very different online.
Valeria says that it is quite frustrating for us to immediately move back to our home countries. Internet is one of the biggest issues she also mentions some of her friends in other countries who even had a problem in downloading the exams as well as submitting them.
She also adds that there are students who come from developing countries and there are some issues they might face there. Coming to the US. students have their reasons and the government should understand the hard work we have had to come here.
It’s the situation for almost every immigrant student in the United States. Another student Fang, he will be forced to leave the US if the University plans to go online otherwise, he will be forcefully deported. He has been studying here since middle school and returned to Beijing earlier this year. But, now, if he wants to return the States then has to suffer the ban of 14 days that has been announced on people returning from China. He plans to stay in Cambodia for 14 days and then take a flight to China.
Yet, another student, MaitriParsana from India studying in University of Buffalo is scared what will she do, if she is deported. Many countries are imposing travel restrictions including India, and she says that she feels abandoned. She stated, “I am definitely scared, I really don't know what to do. I was already stressed about my school and now i have to stress about one more thing," she said, adding that the US appears to be focusing on international students rather than addressing real problems, such as the pandemic.
"We just feel like we're being pushed away from this country for no reason."
Such are the conditions of foreign students in the United States. They are unsure about their future, education and feel victimized because of the policies as it’s jeopardizing their present and future.
