US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Wednesday that the United States will start “aggressively” revoking visas issued to Chinese students, and will “enhance scrutiny” of applications from mainland China and Hong Kong.
“We will also revise visa criteria to enhance scrutiny of all future visa applications from the People’s Republic of China and Hong Kong,” the statement added.
China has continued to send a substantial number of students into the US, second only to India as the top source of international students, even as students and academics from the country have faced increasing scrutiny by the US government.
More than 277,000 Chinese citizens accounted for nearly 25 per cent of all international students in the country, according to last year’s Open Doors report, sponsored by the US Department of State.
The State Department’s move on Wednesday followed a series of actions aimed at restricting international students to address alleged threats to national security.
