A U.S. government order banning Harvard University from accepting new international students has been blocked.
The judge ruled that the order from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) would harm thousands of students and did not follow proper legal steps.
On Thursday, DHS announced the cancellation of Harvard’s right to issue visa forms for international students. This meant Harvard could no longer help new students get F-1 or J-1 visas, which are required to study in the U.S.
The order banning Harvard also left over 6,800 current international students unsure about their status.
DHS said Harvard failed to provide student records during an investigation. Officials claimed the school was not cooperating and accused it of hosting “anti-American” protests and having ties to foreign governments. Harvard denied the claims and said it was protecting student privacy.
The court said the government didn’t give enough reasons to justify its decision. The judge noted that removing Harvard’s certification so suddenly could cause serious harm, especially to students who would be forced to leave or transfer schools quickly.
With the judge’s decision, Harvard can keep enrolling international students while the case continues. New students can still apply for visas, and current students can stay in school.
Immigration experts said the original DHS order was extreme. “This could have caused chaos for thousands of students,” said lawyer Rachel Liu. “The court’s ruling gives everyone time to find a better solution.”
Harvard says it will fight the decision in court and continue supporting its international community as about 20% of its students come from outside the U.S.
Following the order banning Harvard University, this case could have a big impact on other universities too. Tertiary institutions across U.S. are watching closely, worried that their international programs could also face sudden action from the government.
