Students hit out at US visa refusals

Chinese scholars level allegations of discrimination

A group of students in China pursuing various subjects have one thing in common－they have been denied visas to pursue postgraduate studies in the United States due to Presidential Proclamation 10043.

Because of this refusal, the group refers to itself as "the 10043 students".

Issued in May last year by former president Donald Trump, the order bans entry to Chinese students and researchers deemed "security threats" for alleged links to the Chinese military.

A handwritten note on a student's visa refusal sheet obtained by China Daily reads, "Per Presidential Proclamation 10043, because of attendance at Harbin Institute of Technology, we are unable to issue your visa at this time." Other refusals state, "Today's decision cannot be appealed."

Having been denied an F-2 visa twice－first in September at the US consulate in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, and again in May at the US embassy in Beijing, an applicant calling himself "Mr Xiao" said he believed this was because he attended Harbin Institute of Technology in Heilongjiang province as an undergraduate.

He did not intend to study in the US, but wanted to join his wife, who is a postdoctoral researcher at a cancer institute near Los Angeles. The couple have two children, ages 3 and 5.

"The F-2 visa does not allow the holder to study or work full time in the US. How could a homemaker engage in espionage?" Mr Xiao said.

However, he did not have the chance to voice this view to consular officials, as the refusal sheet was printed the moment he answered the question "Where did you graduate from?"

Students who have had a similar experience described their visa interviews as "instant denial". They all attended certain Chinese universities.

It is not clear which educational institutions are covered by the proclamation, and the US State Department has indicated that the list of "entities" will not be made public.