State Department tells consulates to resume processing Harvard visas

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On Friday, the US State Department instructed its embassies and consulates worldwide to begin once again processing student and exchange visas for Harvard University. This directive came after a federal judge temporarily blocked President Donald Trump's recent action aimed at barring international students from attending Harvard.

This updated guidance replaced a previous one sent earlier that week, which told embassies to deny visa applications for students and researchers headed to Harvard. The reversal followed a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) issued by US District Judge Allison Burroughs.

“Effective immediately, all consular offices should resume issuing visas for Harvard students and exchange visitors,” the department cable read. It also emphasized that “no visa requests of this kind should be denied” despite the presidential order.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio authorized the message. This return to “normal processing,” as described in the cable, complies with the judge’s ruling and shows the department is following the legal directive. There has been ongoing legal tension between Harvard and the Trump administration over the handling of these visas. The court has raised concerns about whether US consulates were properly following the order to allow visas for incoming Harvard students. Previously, Harvard informed the judge that students abroad were facing issues in obtaining their visas.

Judge Burroughs noted that she was troubled by reports that some embassies had denied visas to prospective students in recent weeks. However, she issued a broader order directing the government to maintain current policies supporting the presence of international students at the university. Another significant court session is scheduled for next week.

Source: CNN