Leopard 2 battle tanks in January 2023

It is unclear how many students hoping to join academic programmes at US universities this fall (autumn) will be affected by the pause that the State Department is instituting, per the memo.Most US universities announce admissions decisions by late March or early April. Fulbright announces their final decisions on a rolling basis between March to June. Students typically apply for their student visa after they receive their admissions decision. It takes anywhere between a few weeks to a few months for applicants to receive their visas after submitting their applications.

The US State Department website says that F-1 student visas can be issued up to 365 days before the start date of the programme, but students can only enter no more than 30 days before the start date.What happens to students in the US who need to renew visas?It is unclear whether or not the pause will affect students already in the US who need their visas extended or renewed.

The F-1 student visa is typically granted for a five-year period and the renewal process is the same as the application process, where applicants need to fill out an online form and schedule an interview at a US embassy outside the US.While undergraduate programmes are typically four years long, PhDs can range from three to eight years. Many PhD scholars therefore need to renew their US visa in the middle of their programme. International students finishing one degree and applying for another degree in the US, such as students graduating from a bachelor’s degree and applying for a masters, might need to renew their US visa as well.

What’s behind this latest Trump administration move?

This is the Trump administration’s latest step towards cracking down on US universities, particularly international students who showed support for Palestinians in Gaza over the past year.However, Israel also pushed for the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a shadowy United States-backed private aid distributor, to provide essential food aid to starving Palestinians.

The UN and other aid groups have refused to work with GHF, saying itand its distribution model forces the displacement of Palestinians.

Still, UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told reporters on Friday that while any aid that gets to those who need it is “good”, aid deliveries are having “very, very little impact”.“The catastrophic situation in Gaza is the worst since the war began,” he said.