US to let international students start school year, easing COVID-19 rules
In this file photo taken on August 18, 2020, New York University students wait in line for a COVID-19 test before school opens in New York.
The United States said on Tuesday it was easing remaining COVID-19 restrictions on international students.
The move responds to persistent demands from US universities, which increasingly rely financially on foreign students and count on China for more than one-third of them — far more than any country.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that students with valid visas from China, Iran, Brazil and South Africa would qualify for exemptions to entry bans in place over the past year due to concerns of COVID-19 transmission.
The decision is "in keeping with the Department of State's commitment to facilitate legitimate travel to the United States," a statement said.
President Joe Biden's administration in March similarly eased restrictions for students from the European Union and Britain.
Under the latest exemption, students will need to have visas to attend universities for classes starting on August 1 or later, and cannot enter the United States more than one month beforehand.
All travelers will still be subject to the US requirement to present a negative COVID-19 test.
Foreign students — who generally pay full tuition — are a crucial revenue source for US universities, which have been hit hard as COVID-19 forced much instruction to go online.
More than 1 million international students study in the United States each year. They contributed US$45 billion to the US economy in 2018, according to the Commerce Department.
The United States has seen a wave of hate crimes against people of Asian heritage, sometimes triggered by false association with COVID-19.
