The canceled visa: what has shut out graduate students from the border

By Yuqi Cheng

Over the last three months, more than a dozen PhD students from renowned colleges, including Yale and Johns Hopkins, have been denied re-entry to the country, with some facing a five-year-ban. For some students, this means stepping out of the PhD program entirely.

The students have been trying to figure out why their visas were canceled without notice. Appealing has not given them a clear answer. Some believe it is due to the aftermath of the China Initiative and President Proclamation 10043, which aimed to ferret out spies from the science community.

If you are a Chinese student coming to the U.S for graduate school, what choices would you make when faced with the uncertainty of visa validity? Take this journey to understand the feeling of increased scrutiny at the border.

Choose your character

Select your gender to start the journey

Choose your major

STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math.

Everytime aboard is like a gamble

You obtain a valid F1 student visa and spend three months in the United States conducting PhD research. University life is fantastic.

Today, your mentor informs you: "There is an annual international conference in the field in Europe. Everyone in the lab is going. Expenses will be covered."

What do you do?

But you have heard that some Chinese students' visas are canceled without warning. If you depart the United States, you may be scrutinized again at the airport, risking repatriation.

But it's a great opportunity to attend cutting-edge lectures and talk with other students. You don't want to miss it.

Does airport matter

The conference is over and you are feeling refreshed. You are booking your flight back. The nearest airport to the university is Dulles International Airport at Washington D.C.

However, you heard at least four cases of graduate students being sent back to China at this airport.

What do you do?

What does the visa cancellation have to do with the airport?

It may increase the cost of transportation fee and time.

Do you need a translator

At the airport, you give your passport to a border officer for inspection. The officer takes a box and locks your passport in it. "Take this, go there and wait."

You hold the box and follow him to the second inspection region, a place you've never heard of. It’s similar to the check-in counter, but with rows of chairs in the hall.

You sit and wait after a flight over 10 hours, alone. You can not use any electronic devices, which are preserved and checked by the officer.

Finally, you're called in for a second round of questioning. “Do you need a translator?” The officer asked.

What do you do?

I have passed the language test. My English is good enough to meet daily needs. I didn't use an interpreter the first time I was questioned, and I can handle this one too.

I'm not a native English speaker after all. I don't want to make any mistakes in my answers.

Do you agree to sign

After a lot of formal yes-or-no questions, the officer asks you: “Do you know that your visa is canceled?”

“WHAT?!” You exclaimed.

“It will be fine. You can apply for the visa again after returning home, and it will be quick.” The officer said.

You are instructed to sign your name on an electronic board.

What do you do?

I just need to reapply for the visa. It's no big deal. Although I did not fully understand what the officials said, I can still get the records and figure it out.

I don't understand why my visa was canceled. I need to know why before I sign.

“We are not the ones who canceled your visa.” The officer said. “I don't know why either. We are just following the rules. You can not enter the United States without a valid visa. You can ask the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) after you return to your country.”

What do you do?

I just need to reapply for the visa. It's no big deal. I can figure out why by asking this department.

I can't accept what is happening to me.

The officer takes you from the hall to a separate room to talk. You realize that this is what is called a "little dark room” by students.

“You know, ” The officer said, “We just caught a foreign spy last week. We gave him an injection. He told us everything in the end.”

What do you do?

Life is more precious than a momentary pursuit of justice.

You won't get your phone back until the repatriation plane lands. After checking, you discover that you have been banned from entering the United States for five years.

The officer doesn't tell you anything about the ban. You feel duped since you are unable to reapply for a visa, as you were informed when you signed.

In addition, the officer didn't inform you of the right to withdraw the entry application, which in theory would not result in a punitive five-year ban.

The appeal path

You are repatriated to the country of the international conference because it is where your ticket originated. From there you fly back to China, and consult lawyers at your own expense.

For several months, you try to figure out why your visa was canceled by following various options.

You receive a Form I-213 of your records.

The document falsely claims that you failed to disclose your master's degree from a Chinese university on your résumé, and that you are currently undertaking postdoctoral research at a US university.

In fact, you only have an undergraduate degree and are currently pursuing a PhD degree.

Your inquiry is swiftly closed without any form of response.

You receive a letter from CBP that simply reiterates your denial of entry due to an invalid visa, without providing further explanation for your visa cancellation.

The consequences

Four months later, You haven't received any meaningful feedback.

Which year are you in your PhD?