Spark Deep Dive: Bill banning Chinese student visas introduced in the US

Republican lawmakers in the US have introduced a bill that would block Chinese citizens from getting student visas.

Representative Riley Moore of West Virginia was the original sponsor of the bill. It is called the “Stop Chinese Communist Prying by Vindicating Intellectual Safeguards in Academia Act”.

If passed, it would prevent Chinese nationals from getting student visas to study in the US.

Laws in the US are decided by a small group of elected officials called Congress. It has two parts: the House of Representatives and the Senate.

Moore’s bill would have to be passed by both parts before it could be signed into law by US President Donald Trump.

“Every year, we allow nearly 300,000 Chinese nationals to come to the US on student visas. We’ve literally invited the CCP to spy on our military, steal our intellectual property, and threaten national security,” Moore said.

“It’s time we turn off the [tap] and immediately ban all student visas going to Chinese nationals.”

Chinese citizens make up the second largest group of international students in the US, after Indian nationals. According to the Institute of International Education, 277,398 Chinese students studied in the US during the 2023-24 academic year. The figure has been declining since the 2019-20 school year.

Moore’s proposal applies to all Chinese students, regardless of their academic field or level of study.

Some Democrats took issue with the bill’s assumption that all Chinese students were suspect.

“Our strategic competition is with the Chinese Communist Party, not the Chinese people,” said Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi of Illinois.

Democratic Representative Grace Meng of New York said that “cultural exchange through university programmes has made our economy stronger and more competitive on the global stage”.

“While we must remain vigilant in protecting our national security, banning only Chinese students from studying in the US is xenophobic and wrong-headed,” she said.

This is not the first time the Trump administration has targeted international students from China. In 2020, during his first term, Trump signed a proclamation that led to the cancellation of more than 1,000 visas for “high-risk graduate students and research scholars”.

They were suspected of acquiring and transferring sensitive technologies and intellectual property from the US to China.

Staff writers

1. Based on the news, which of the following are true?

(1) Chinese citizens are the second largest group of international students in the US.
(2) The original sponsor of the bill was a Democratic representative.
(3) The number of Chinese students studying in the US has been declining.
(4) Moore’s main concern is that Chinese-born students will take jobs from American-born students.

A. (1), (2) only
B. (2), (3) only
C. (1), (3) only
D. (3), (4) only

2. Why does Moore want to prevent Chinese students from studying in the US? How did Democrats receive the bill?

3. Using the information in the news, name ONE way Chinese students have been affected by US policies in recent years.

1. What is being shown in the graph? What trends can you identify?

2. Based on the information in the news, how might the graph look over the next few years if Moore’s bill becomes law?

visas: official documents allowing a person to visit or live in a country or territory for a certain period. There are different visas for different purposes, such as travel or study. Requirements vary for people from different places. For example, a person with a Hong Kong passport doesn’t need a visa to travel to the UK, but someone with a Vietnamese passport does.

intellectual property: the ownership of an idea or design by the person who came up with it. It can be applied to musical, literary and artistic works, discoveries and inventions.

xenophobic: fear or hatred of people from different cultures or countries. It is often based on stereotypes, prejudice and a lack of understanding of other cultures.

1. C

2. Representative Riley Moore said he wants to protect US national security by preventing Chinese students from getting visas. He claimed that these students were part of the Chinese Communist Party and would spy on the US military and steal intelligence.

His statement was not well received by Democratic representatives, who felt it was incorrect to assume all Chinese students were coming to the US to threaten national security. Democratic Representative Grace Meng of New York called the move “xenophobic” and said that cultural exchange strengthens the US economy and makes it more competitive.

3. During Donald Trump’s first term as US president, he cancelled more than a thousand visas for Chinese students. Trump claimed these students were high-risk and suspected of acquiring and transferring sensitive technologies and intellectual property from the US to China.

1. The graph shows that the US has steadily increased the number of F1 student visas given to mainland Chinese students. This number has remained fairly consistent since 2018. The only dip was in 2020, when only eight students received these visas because of the Covid-19 pandemic. The number rose to 33,900 in 2021.

2. If Moore’s bill were signed into law, the graph would show a significant drop in the number of students receiving visas, likely down to zero, since he has said he wants to ban all Chinese nationals.