What impact does Trump's election as the new president of the United States have on international students?

David, our doctor of law at Harvard University, gave the following answer:

The following points in Trump's policy are related to our students in China. Let's take a look at these policies and the possibility of their eventual implementation:

1. End the policy of "automatic acquisition of nationality at birth"

This is a right granted by the Constitution of the United States-if you were born on American territory, you will automatically acquire American citizenship. This interpretation was put forward by the Supreme Court in 189 1. At that time, the Supreme Court was deciding the case of Wong Kim Ark, which happened to involve an immigrant from China. In the end, the Supreme Court finally sided with Wong Kim Ark and put forward the above explanation until today. Asians have always been the target of the Conservative Party's attack on this matter, because many Asians come to the United States to give birth in the name of tourism. But like many Trump policies, abolishing "automatic citizenship at birth" is just talk. There will be no constitutional amendment, and the Supreme Court will not change its mind, because the constitutional amendment requires two-thirds of the votes of the House of Representatives and the Senate, and at least three-quarters of the state legislatures. It is out of the question.

2. Restrictions on J 1 visa

Trump has said that he will completely cancel the J 1 visa and implement a new policy to provide better academic exchange opportunities for young people in inland cities in the United States. J 1 visa is an educational exchange visa. A common form is the reciprocal student program, which allows its holders to enter the United States, live with American families, take care of their children for a limited time, and experience American family life while attending American high schools. This is a very special visa, which is not common for China students. Most China students hold F- 1 student visas. However, the cancellation of the J 1 visa will greatly reduce the number of professors and researchers who come to the United States for academic research and exchanges. Considering that the real purpose of Trump's policy is to reduce the cheap labor in industries such as child care and medical care, rather than reducing the number of people in the field of education, Trump will introduce similar measures to ensure the normal conduct of educational exchanges.

3. Increase EB-5 investment immigration projects.

During his business career, Trump has funded many of his own projects (including the magnificent Trump Tower he is proud of) with the funds of foreign investors (most China investors) (through EB-5 investment immigration project). Therefore, we will hardly see policy changes in this area, and there may be more investment and immigration opportunities in the future.

4. cancel the OPT opportunity of F- 1 student visa.

Trump should not reduce the number of student visas, but he has previously discussed canceling the existing OPT system. The existing OPT system allows students to hold student visas, but they can work legally 1 to 3 years. The existing CPT system should not change much (CPT means that students can legally work while studying at school).

5. Reform the H- 1B visa immigration system by raising salary requirements.

Trump hopes to restrict American companies from hiring employees from China or other Asian countries by substantially increasing the "average wage in the industry", even if these employees fully meet the "high level" defined in the regulations. India, China, the Philippines and South Korea are the four major countries that send workers with only H- 1B work visas to the United States. Trump's policy will greatly change this digital landscape. But! Mike Pence, Vice President of Trump, has proposed to double the number of H- 1B visas to meet the demand. Therefore, for truly sophisticated talents, this measure will not bring much change, but may be a good thing. It is worth noting that Trump's wife also held an H- 1B visa when she first arrived in the United States. The reform of the visa system is certain, but for truly mature talents, this is not devastating bad news.

Remember, Trump has no clear electoral mandate because he lost the universal suffrage. Although the Republican Party controls the Congress and the White House, it still needs the cooperation of the Democratic Party on many issues if it wants to carry out its own policies.

Many people believe that although Trump keeps saying "America is the first", his policy will be biased towards democracy. His past achievements also prove this point.

I think he will be a little more peaceful when he really enters the White House than when he was elected. Although the so-called data and polls in this election lied to us, one thing is certain: Trump and Hillary can only be presidents for one term.

This means that for most international students who want to study in the United States, when you graduate from college and are about to use your OPT or apply for an H- 1B visa, Trump is no longer the president. Considering that there are no other policies that may be unfavorable to F- 1 student visa holders, the result of this election will not actually affect China students who come to study in the United States.