AGENCY
Washington, MAY 29
With an admission letter in hand, many international students enrolled at Harvard University have been left anxious as US President Donald Trump revoked the university’s authority to enroll foreign students under a federal government scheme called the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP). Some international students who graduated from the Ivy League University today had plans to stay in the US and work on a visa extension program. Their future now lies in the hands of the Trump administration.
Sultanali Nurmanuly, a Kazakhstan student who graduated from Harvard University today, told NDTV that the ban “feels like a punishment”.
“Think we definitely feel the injustice because of all the US schools, it’s just Harvard, you know. Other schools had student activities that the Trump administration was criticising. But it is the university administration’s actions not complying with everything that the government officials have asked, which has led to this,” Mr Nurmanuly said.
He added, “For me, as someone who was not involved in the political climate of the country and all over the world…maybe I should be more involved… but I wasn’t, and as someone who wasn’t very involved in that it feels like a punishment even though I haven’t done anything. I do agree that having a student visa here and having an opportunity to study here is a privilege.”As someone who is graduating from Harvard,
Mr Nurmanuly said that the ban does not affect him as much as other students. However, he had plans of getting a visa extension and working in the US.
“I know that other students were suffering a lot, especially the ones who just got in. Harvard actually sent out some emails a few months ago for newly admitted students that they should matriculate to other schools as well, just in case they have visa complications. But in terms of me and other students who are graduating, I think it affects us too, because most of us would plan to stay here and work on a visa extension program called OPT, optional practical training,” he said.
