China Cautions Its Students in U.S. About Leaving Country

Chinese authorities are advising Chinese students in the U.S. to think twice about leaving the country over the holidays, adding to warnings by a dozen American universities to international students to be back on campus before President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration.

- LIYAN QI

Students should "try to reduce unnecessary cross-border travel," China's Consulate General in Chicago said in a Dec. 14 note on its website.

The visas of Chinese students, particularly in the sciences, were targeted during Trump's first term, and many Chinese students now studying at U.S. schools are feeling on edge ahead of his return to the White House. Many are now changing travel plans while also thinking about a Plan B if tougher visa rules come into effect next year.

A 26-year-old graduate student who asked to be identified only by her surname, Guo, said she is still going to visit her partner in Europe during the winter break. To make sure she won't have any trouble returning, she booked a return flight on Jan. 19, just ahead of the inauguration and a few days before the spring semester starts at Columbia University in New York.

She is set to graduate next year and had hoped to stay in the U.S. and find a job. Uncertainty now surrounds those plans as well as those of other Chinese students, who have flocked to Chinese social media platforms to vent their frustration about not knowing what is ahead.

"I wake up in the middle of the night, worrying about what to do next," Guo said. "Anxiety is through the roof, and almost everyone I know feels so lost."

Beyond graduation, the Optional Practical Training program lets international students work for a year in the U.S. while remaining on their student visas. After that, they need an employee sponsor to get a work visa under the H-1B program.

Like many fellow students, Guo said she is now considering pursuing a doctoral degree or moving to Europe as the chance of getting an employer-sponsored visa in the U.S. is getting slim.