Hong Kong students hoping to attend universities in the US should review their social media for content related to the country’s politics, an education consultant has advised, as uncertainties swirled amid reported flip-flopping over whether consulates could process visa applications for Harvard.
Consultants on Sunday told the Post they were still trying to get confirmation on what American authorities required and were unclear about whether they would be able to book visa interviews for their clients in the coming days.
The US State Department on Friday told the country’s consulates around the world to resume processing visa applications for overseas students who were planning to study at Harvard University, according to a report by The Washington Post.
A day earlier, the department reportedly told consulates to keep visa appointments and assess whether applicants were eligible to study in the United States, while providing explicit instructions to reject those looking to study at Harvard.
The order marked a sudden about-face after a judge blocked efforts by US President Donald Trump to bar international students from the top university.
The flip-flop came just after Chinese President Xi Jinping and Trump held a much-anticipated phone call in which the leaders agreed to reverse the move on blocking visas for Chinese students in the US, among other measures.