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Govt scrambles to help Indonesian students in the US amid visa suspension policy
Several options considered by the Higher Education, Science and Technology Ministry for Indonesian students in the United States are changing their scholarships’ terms and looking for possibilities to move the students to universities in Indonesia or other countries.
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A stock illustration of a United States visa. (Shutterstock/ND700)
T
he Higher Education, Science and Technology Ministry is looking for options to accommodate Indonesian students currently staying in the United States or planning to depart for their studies amid Washington’s move to suspend visa processing for international students globally.
Several options considered by the ministry to avoid the students being stranded and hindered from continuing their studies were changing their scholarships, looking for possibilities to move the student’s destination to other countries and continuing their studies at an Indonesian institution.
“We are anticipating [this situation] by also coordinating with the Foreign Ministry and scholarship providers, including the Endowment Fund for Education (LPDP),” said Higher Education, Science and Technology Minister Brian Yuliarto in Bandung on Thursday.
“We are watching, waiting and anticipating so that should the policy come into effect, we won’t be caught off guard,” he continued.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio ordered on Tuesday for embassies and consulates to pause scheduling appointments for student visas, pending new guidelines on checking applicants’ social media postings, as reported by AFP.
The US State Department said on Thursday the suspension would be brief, with its spokesperson Tammy Bruce encouraging prospective students to seek visa appointments.
“I would not be recommending that if this was going to be weeks or months,” Bruce said, as quoted by AFP. “I can tell you that it’s something that would happen perhaps sooner than later.”
