Tag: Education

US visa rule leaves many Asian students in panic

Normally, overseas students studying at American universities must be taking courses in-person to fulfill the requirements for a US visa, but this regulation was suspended starting March 2020 “for the duration of the emergency,” in light of so many schools quickly going virtual because of COVID-19. On July 6, the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement  changed its guidance, instead saying that students must take classes in-person or lose their eligibility to remain in the United States.

After the US announced that international students were required to be enrolled in in-person courses or be sent to their home countries, many students were in a panic. Speaking on the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announcement that students would lose their student visas, Ifat Gazia, a PhD student from Kashmir, said “this order is basically pushing students to chose between disease and deportation.”

This policy affects over a million foreign students, but the Chinese student population is the largest, and it faces significant restrictions on traveling home. According to ICE, nearly 80 percent of all international students in the US are from Asia, with the majority coming from China and India. The administration stood by the policy, without particular accommodations for students from Asian countries also navigating the crisis. “You don’t get a visa for taking online classes from, let’s say, the University of Phoenix, so why would you if you were just taking online classes regularly?” White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany said during a press briefing.

There are nearly 370,000 Chinese students and and 194,000 Indian students in the U.S. “This unjust and discriminatory attack on international students cuts to the core of our mission of education and research,” Johns Hopkins University Provost Sunil Kumar said.

“If ICE sends me sends me and other Kasmiri students back, we would be left with no remote learning option. I will have to take a leave from my university and sit back home until this order is revoked,” said Gazia, referencing the Indian government-imposed internet blockade in Kashmir. In a similar way, many websites, including Google and Facebook that are used by US universities to communicate with students, are blocked in China.

According to an Institute of International Education report, in which they cited the US Department of Commerce, international students contributed $45 billion to the US economy in 2018. NAFSA has said that foreign students supported over 450,000 jobs in the US during the 2018-2019 academic year. John Hopkins joined the growing list of universities suing the Trump administration to block this rule on foreign students, led by Harvard and MIT.

On July 14, 2020, the government effectively conceded the point, reaching a settlement in the Harvard-MIT suit, and allowing students to remain in the US in these extraordinary times.

Author: Camryn Thomas

Asian Businesses Respond to COVID-19

A guest post today from UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School student Youthika Chauhan, a doctoral candidate and Graduate Phillips Ambassador for 2020, as well as a past Mahatma Gandhi Fellow through UNC Sangam and the Carolina Asia Center:

COVID-19 has created an impact on each of our lives in many different ways. But with the onset of the July, more and more countries are relaxing their measures. Several organizations have been instrumental in helping local communities to cope with the stringent legal measures. As a PhD candidate at UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School, I have the opportunity to study several socially impactful organizations. Many scientists, educators, and other professionals shared their insights about how their organization helped their local communities to cope with the recent difficult times. Their stories are as not only impactful but also inspirational for they symbolize the better times that lie ahead of us.

Smart Air is multi-country social enterprise based in China, India, Mongolia, Philippines, Bangladesh, Thailand and Indonesia that makes affordable air purifiers. Dhariyash Rathod, the CEO of Smart Air India shares that on the outbreak of COVID-19, Smart Air team ran tests to determine the best material suited for making DIY masks. Then, the firm shared their data, and released the “Ultimate Guide to Homemade Face Masks for Coronavirus” on their website.

Kagal Education Society, an educational non-profit based in rural India has been working on some very innovative teaching approaches. Their simple, yet effective use of technology has not only prevented the education of their students from being disrupted, but has also ensured that the educational needs of their each of their students is met even in these difficult times. According to Sharmilee Mane, Director of YD Mane Research Center for Agriculture and Rural Development (part of the Kagal Education Society), “students have goals for their studies.” Sharmilee describes how their organization makes sures that their students can accomplish all of their goals. “Our teachers deliver lectures on Zoom. They share their homework on WhatsApp with the parents. The parents then make the students complete their homework, and share it with the teachers on WhatsApp. We have been conducting classes with not more than 15 students at a time, as per the government’s regulation.” With the right use of technology, Kagal Education Society has set an example for educational institutes to follow, not only in rural India, but also in developing regions across the world.

Winkler Partners, a Taiwan-based law firm has made significant effort to ameliorate vulnerable lives impacted severely by COVID-19. James Hill, Community Coordinator at Winkler Partners shared about their work with me. “We weren’t that badly affected by COVID-19, however a lot of charities stopped supporting or providing services to the homeless because people were encouraged to not interact with each other, to be socially distant. A lot of charities, pulled out of doing the kind of on-the-ground work that they’ve been doing. So, we helped support a charity that was stepping into to provide regular meals to homeless people.”

Indeed, efforts like these allow not only organizations to be resilient in hard times, but also enable local communities to be resilient, and recover soon. While we look forward to better times, it is important to acknowledge the efforts of all those who have provided their time, resources, and efforts in dealing with the pandemic.