The US begins revoking Chinese student visas
JAKARTA – US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on 28 May that the United States will begin revoking the visas of Chinese students, including those with links to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
“The US will begin revoking the visas of Chinese students, including those affiliated with the Chinese Communist Party or studying in strategic fields,” Rubio wrote on platform X.
The US Department of State confirmed the move in a brief press release, stating it would work closely with the Department of Homeland Security to aggressively cancel visas.
The department will also revise visa criteria and step up scrutiny of all upcoming visa applications from China and Hong Kong.
According to the State Department, as cited by Epoch Times, the Chinese regime monitors its students abroad through the Chinese Students and Scholars Association (CSSA).
Some CSSA chapters in the US have openly acknowledged that they are directed, supported, or funded by Chinese consulates.
The FBI has warned on its official website that the CCP uses graduate and postdoctoral researchers in fields such as engineering, science, and mathematics to operate as non-traditional collectors of intellectual property.
“China is the world’s leading intellectual property violator. The annual cost to the US economy from counterfeit goods, pirated software, and trade secret theft is estimated to range from USD 225 billion to USD 600 billion,” the FBI stated.
Rubio’s announcement comes two months after Republicans in the House of Representatives raised concerns over Chinese student visas on 14 March.
Led in part by Representative Riley Moore (R-W.Va.), the bill titled Stop Chinese Communist Prying by Vindicating Intellectual Safeguards in Academia Act of 2025—abbreviated as the Stop CCP VISAs Act of 2025—would prohibit Chinese nationals from receiving student visas, citing national security concerns related to the CCP.
Previously, there had also been calls from US citizens urging the government to repatriate Chinese students, including the daughter of Chinese President Xi Jinping. (DH/ZH)