European Origins Students Exempt From US Travel Ban

Illustration (Photo: Mikael Kristenson Unsplash)

JAKARTA - Foreign students from Europe are exempt from travel restrictions imposed by the United States (US) due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This was conveyed directly by the US State Department during the congress on Thursday, July 16.

The US State Department also told lawmakers that it would offer exemptions for some au pair participants and family members who hold US visas, Reuters reported on Friday.

The move is part of the US Government's efforts to gradually reopen international travel after months of comprehensive restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

US President Donald Trump previously banned foreign nationals from most European countries from entering the US in March due to the surge in COVID-19 cases in the region before the disease hit the US.

The European Union has also started allowing non-essential travel from a limited number of countries since June. But foreign nationals from the US, the country with the world's number one COVID-19 case, are prohibited from entering any country in the European Union.

China, Brazil and Iran face similar travel bans. But students from these countries are not an exception to the US.

Trump and Foreign Students

The US decision to allow European students to come to the United States comes days after the Trump administration agreed to reject a policy that could force tens of thousands of US foreign students. ICE last week had conveyed a rule that foreign students must immediately leave the US voluntarily if all classes are to be applied online.

Two days later, Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) filed the first of several lawsuits. They tried to overturn the directive, calling the rules arbitrary, arbitrary, and including an abuse of discretion.

Other universities have also signed in support of the lawsuit. Attorneys general from at least 18 states, including Massachusetts and California, are also demanding the rule.

District Judge Allison Burroughs in Massachusetts said the parties had reached a settlement. The agreement reinstates a policy implemented in March, which allows international students to attend their classes online if necessary and remain legally in the US on a student visa.

President Trump has encouraged universities and schools to reopen classrooms in the new semester. He sees reopening as an indicator of recovery after months of upheaval, which could be beneficial in his bid for re-election for the 2020 US elections held in November.

However, many educators are concerned about student safety. Many schools and universities continue to enforce social distancing during the pandemic.

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