10043 STORIES
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Graphic Description: Protecting our academic dreams from PP10043
Special Report from Financial Magazine : A Dearm Shattered—Chinese students to sue US Government for 10043 Visa Rejection (Translation)
Visa Refusal Stories
The following are real stories from some victims of the 10043 ban, describing the innocent and profound impact they have suffered in their studies, lives and more, due to this unreasonable policy.
A 212f/PP10043 VISA rejection letter received by a student who attended Harbin Institute of Technology many years ago, shows that he was denied a J visa because he had attended HIT.
I fell into a great depression and loss, and for many sleepless nights, I looked at the stars and shed tears in my eyes. Bright as the moon, how could I make it stay?
Sorrows surface and swell, and refuse to go away.
I am an ordinary student who could not study abroad because of the 10043 ban in the US This is my story.
I was born in a poor farming family from the thousands of mountains of southern Guangxi, and the valueable thing in my family was a broken TV. When I went to high school in the town, my head teacher told me to study hard and get out of the mountains to see the outside world. This belief was deeply implanted in my heart. Later, when I got into a well-known university in the capital, I thought, this time I changed my fate.
I was deeply shocked and confused by the majestic Forbidden City and Great I clearly remember, in the winter of my sophomore year in a bored English class, I saw a girl in the same class next door seriously memorizing English words, I curiously asked her what she was studying, she said, she was preparing for the GRE, I asked her in surprise, Ji? Auntie Ji? What the hell is this? Then, she smiled in a gentle tone and explained to me that if you want to study in the United States you need to pass the language test first. Ah, America, the faraway but powerful country with Microsoft, Apple, B2, Kirby, Transformers, Taylor Swift? I thought silently in my heart. I vaguely remember that in various Civics classes and lecture classes, teachers always talked about China-US relations incessantly, and the newly appointed, unique President Trump was the object of frequent banter. At that time, coinciding with the visit of President Xi Jinping to the United States, Xi and Te met in the Lake and Sea Manor, an unprecedented event.
Later, like most of my classmates, I entered the laboratory to do odd jobs. I read countless piles of research papers in those days, and I lamented to my professor that the Americans were really too far ahead in this field. My mentor graduated with a PhD from a prestigious school in the US He told me that I must visit there when I had the chance, it would be good for my life, and from this moment on, I had the idea of studying abroad. At first, I didn 't know anything, searched for information on Zhihu, bought twenty study materials in a small bookstore, and started to prepare day and night, in every morning, in every early morning, in the library, in the study room, in the playground, in the cafeteria. However, one day I suddenly realized that it would cost me a lot of money to study abroad, but I couldn't get that much money, and I couldn't even afford to pay for the TOEFL exam, so I was in a huge tangle again.
However, I still couldn't let go of the regret and obsession in my heart after all. Once I was surfing the Internet in an Internet cafe, I inadvertently clicked on a Thai movie called "The Talented Gunman", in which the main character fought for everything to study in the United States, as if he could rewrite his fate by going there. I was alone in the smoky and noisy Internet cafe, and I was silent for a long time. That night, I figured out that life only comes once, so I decided to embark on this path again. So, I found two internships, and every day, I ran between Xi'erqi and Zhongguancun in the surging crowd, just to save enough money for exams and applications; I worked hard on research and papers, and when I traveled, I had to carry a broken bag at the airport station to deal with the experimental data, because I understood that the papers could add a point to my chances of winning when I applied. Whenever I was tired, I talked to my friends who had stayed in the United States si nce I was an undergraduate, and listened to them cursing the school, complaining about the local government, and talking about the local customs, as if my old friends were around and never far away. I swore in my heart, that one day, I would come across the ocean to see you.
I was just trying to be silly like that. It seems that this is the only way, there is only one direction, and it can not be changed. I was accepted by a famous US university that is always ranked in the top 10 in the world for PHD, and the university will provide a scholarship of $60,000 per year for five years. At the moment I got the offer, I had mixed feelings inside: more than twenty years, from the vast mountains. I was once unable to extricate myself from the size of the world and indulge in its dreamy stories, but now I can finally, finally, finally embrace the world.
However, the story did not go as smoothly as expected. The latter episode, as you know: the friction between the United States and China escalated, my graduation school was on the so-called sanctions list, and the epidemic raged, casting a shadow on the future. I consoled myself that everything would be better when the new president came into power, but fate was so ill-fated that all the unreasonable policies of the previous president continued to be perpetuated, and I had never felt so helpless, and really did not want to let my dreams sleep peacefully in the ninth heaven in such a way.
I fell into a great depression and loss, and for many sleepless nights, I looked at the stars and left tears in my eyes.
Bright as the moon, how could I make it stay? Sorrows surface and swell, and refuse to go away.
Gradually, I became used to stay in the various bars in Wudaokou, madly getting myself drunk.
However, the water flowed even more when the knife was cut off, and the sorrow was even deeper when the glass was raised.
This is my story.
'You Can google this (means PP10043) online', the VO said.
Incoming MBA student at University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
I'm an incoming MBA student at University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. My feeling of excitement When got the offer is still very fresh although it's 18 months ago. But what I didn't expect was the following distress and disappointment.
Frankly speaking, I was over optimistic till the moment I got rejected. I was aware of Presidential Proclaimaion 10043 and the increasing restrictions posed on Chinese students with STEM majors. But with my past educational and professional background exclusively in finance and the fact that I am going to pursue a business program, I could never imagine that I would be deemed as someone who might be detrimental to the US national interest. I remember I was very relaxed until lining up in the US visa Center in Shanghai in May. The atmosphere was definitely more intense and depressing than I thought.
Since most other types of visa application were not open back then, the whole lobby was almost filled with young students. Most of them were at their early 20s and I almost felt a bit'old' since I am over 30s with ten years' work experience. The queue was moving slowly since every student was interviewed for a quite long time. After about 2 hours, I finally came to the counter with 4 people standing in front of me. The atmosphere got me a little nervous and I tried to stay calm by listening to the conversations between the applicants and visa officers.
There was a young man standing in front of the adjacent window and I heard him telling the visa officer that he got admitted to Yale for a Ph.D program in architecture.'What a brilliant guy!' I told myself, 'He must be very smart and hardworking to be admitted to Yale and study architecture'
However, after a few questions, I heard the visa officer clearly told him 'sorry but I cannot approve your visa'
That was a heavy struck not only to that young man, but to me too. Also in my mind, architecture was not even close to anything sensitive or relevant to national security. I found that result hard to understand.
That young man looked like someone hit him blunt and sharp and stood there quietly for about 10 seconds. In the end he left, without saying a word.
I felt more nervous witnessing what happened.
A skinny girl approached the window in front of me and answered 'Stanford, Business Analytics' when asked about her school and program. The visa officer asked a few questions and remained silent. After a while, I heard him telling the girl that her application needed further investigation and no decision could be made at that moment. She left with disappointment and I started to feel really worried. But I explained to myself, maybe there's something sensitive about her file. And maybe the visa officer had concerns about the data science part of Business Analytics. While MBA is exclusively about business and management, I have nothing to worry about.
While I was trying to boost my confidence, I was called to the window. A young male visa officer asked for my I-20 form and resume.
The first few questions seemed normal:
Q:'Why are you going to the US?'
A: 'I plan to study for the MBA program at University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill'
Q: 'Who sponsored your undergraduate study?'
A: 'My patents did'
Q:'Whats your parents' jobs?'
A:'They are both retired'
Q: 'Have you got a scholarship?'
A: 'Yes, I am awarded a fellowship by the Forte Foundation of America. It Will cover my full tuition and expense for the whole program'
The smooth conversation suddenly stopped after the visa officer turned to my resume. He seemed suddenly alerted and started to type quickly on his computer. After a while, He left the window and went behind the counter. I saw him taking my resume and discussed with someone back there. They chatted for a few minutes and he came back. Without talking to me anymore, he took out a white slip and wrote down something in front of me.
'Sorry your visa application has been denied due to military restrictions'
I couldn't believe my ears and said 'But I never served in the military before.'
He seemed unwilling to make any explanation and pointed to the words he wrote down and said 'You Can google this online' and returnd my documents and passport to me.
I knew he had made a decision But I still tried to learn more about the situation. So I asked 'If I could provide additional information and support materials, could I apply again?'
'Unless your situation is materially different, the result Will be the same'
All my good hopes and dreams were shattered. I searched PP10043 and found out that thousands Chinese students and scholars have the same experience as me. Their background is very diverse with only one thing in common: they studied at the entities relevant to the so called 'Military Civil Fusion Strategy' or have been sponsored by CSC( China Scholarship Council). My undergraduate school Nanjing University of Science and Technology seems to be among the 7 Chinese universities on the black list.
I felt desperate and helpless. But I didn't want to give up yet. I did more research and communicated to UNC. I believe the rejection of my visa application was a mistake and inconsistent with the intent of PP10043, which was to protect ' sensitive United States technologies and intellectual property'. UNC professors and admission officers felt shock about my experience and provided me a support letter to request that my student visa be approved. With that support letter and an explanation letter I wrote to further clarify my background, my study plan and my purpose, I made a second appointment with the visa center in Beijing.
The muse of luck didn't come to me, again. The visa officer patiently read my explanation letter, UNC support letter and again became silent when she saw my resume. I was overwhelm by disappointment and asked if she could reconsider when I saw her reaching for the deadly white slip.
'I Will be 35 years old next year so this might be the last time that I will have the courage to go back to school. Also I am not from a rich family so that $140,000 scholarship actually Means a lot to me'
I could not help myself telling the ultimate truth from my heart.
The visa officer looked embarrassed. Finally She said' sorry your visa application cannot be approved. I'm sorry I shouldn't be here doing this.'
President Biden once said that individuals should not be the bargaining chips in politics conflict but that is exactly how I feel. So are other talented and inspiring Chinese students impacted by PP10043. US has inspired many of us with its advantage not only in academics and economy , but also in its inclusive culture. The US Beijing embassy was celebrating the gay pride month when I went for my second visa application in June. I really can not reconcile the inclusiveness with what happened to me. Free academic exchange is the foundation of mutual trust between nations. And the right of international students to pursue further education is as sacred as the gay right. Review them as individuals. Don't judge them as a sinful group.
The dust of the times, falling on a person, is a big mountain...
Visa troubles in the time of Corona, A USC graduate student's story
I was an undergraduate student at Beihang University and graduated in 2018. For a long time, I have had a favorable impression of the US since junior high school. After all, the US has its one-of-the-kind education system excelling around the world. For this reason, I have long decided to further my study in the US. Since the junior year, I began to participate in summer research programs for grad school applications. I had wonderful experiences at the University of Minnesota and the University of Washington. After I graduated from Beihang, I studied Quantum Computation at the University of Southern California for my master's program. It seems natural to me to continue my Ph.D. program at USC.
The first one and the half years in USC were rewarding and joyful. Since I had not gone back to China, in Jan. 2020, I went back to China and visited my folks. I had planned to do an intern job in China for a half year and then go back to USC in 2020 Fall. However, I didn't expect that everything was messed up by a sudden disaster…
The first thing is the COVID-19 pandemic. My hometown Hubei Province, the main epidemic area, adopted a strict policy of stay-home quarantine. After two months of staying home, I found myself undergoing a depressive state and gaining more than 22 pounds . With the virus spreading to the whole world, I found the US has adopted an increasingly negative method towards the pandemic. In April or May 2020, Mr. Trump decided his strategic direction for his presidential election—targeting China as its enemy. It was against this background that President Proclamation 10043 came into effect.
In September 2021, my five-year F-1 visa for the former's master program in 2018 was revoked. What's worse is that students from certain Universities and other institutions repeatedly got rejected for their visas. I found myself on the verge of breaking down so much that I wanted to cry everyday morning when I got up. I comforted myself, maybe Chinese students will be welcomed if Mr. Joe Biden gets elected.
From the beginning of the President Election in November, I kept myself updated about the voting number of two candidates every day. I got ecstatic whenever I saw the swing states change from red to blue. It seemed to me that as long as Biden wins the election, I can be welcomed into the US, and we could go back to the days when students got their J and F visas successfully.
Things didn't pan out well as I expected. Mr. Biden's new government overthrew many policies, only except for the ones concerning the sino-us policies. In April, I headed to Singapore for an F-1 visa, only to get rejected under PP. 10043. I asked my school for help, and there was no practical answer. I guess it may be the end of my education path in the US. I felt so sad. It is not because of anything wrong that I have done but of the school I previously studied. What a ridiculous and helpless fact! It becomes an incredible Odyssey to revoke President Proclamation 10043 through exhausting our efforts. Tiny dust of the times, falling on one's shoulder, turns out to be a giant mountain.
Stop the Presidential Proclamation 10043 and restore the pathway of academic exchange!
A Year of Online Courses—the breakdown of a physics Ph.D. student
In Feb. 2020, I received a Ph.D. offer in Physics from a US institution. However, the COVID-19 pandemic as well as the President Proclamation 10043 (PP. 10043) blocked Chinese student visas and forced me to study remotely in China, where there is 12 hours' difference from the US. From then on, I spent my entire year in sleep-wake inversion.
Not a single day in this year have I spent in a normal way. Days and nights completely inversed. Social interaction entirely deprived. Endless worries of getting a valid visa haunted me even when I was heavily burdened by academic tasks. I was also mentally afflicted in many desperate nights by constant anger, sadness, and anxiety.
As a mere innocent student, I don't think I deserve to be ill-treated by the PP.10043 just because I have studied in one of the universities on the list. I kept paying attention to people like me who have also been rejected for visas on no grounds by unfair PP. 10043. It blocks academic freedom, erodes educational exchanges, and hurtfully prevents countless innocent and hardworking students from pursuing their academic goals. In this case, I sincerely hope that PP 10043 could be revoked, and the pathway of academic exchange be restored.
Wonderful life to be destroyed by PP 10043.
Freelance Artist from Harbin Institute of Technology, applying F2 visa.
I am a freelance artist. Previously, I studied English as my undergraduate major at a non-sensitive and then graduated from one of''the Seven Sons'' with a master's degree in foreign linguistics and applied linguistics. Out of the sheer enthusiasm for character painting and designing, I signed up for a course in art concept and design for systematic training after my master's graduation in Jan 2020. I have always dreamed of being an artist in the game and film industry. Finally, my portfolio was recognized by the admission committee, and I got admitted into the Academy of Art University and would study 3D Game Character Development. It seemed that my dream was just within my reach. The program will last two years and requires no research nor publications. The only criterion for graduation is whether students can create excellent works. To my surprise, my visa application got rejected for the reason of 212f.
On the 14th May, the day of my visa interview, the visa officer asked for my information as a routine. He kept my resume and passport and told me my visa needs further administrative processing. On the afternoon of 17th May, the visa officer phoned me and informed me that my visa got rejected, and I may receive the same result even if I apply for an F2 visa. Since my husband studied in the US and now working on OPT, it seems impossible for me to visit him in America. The COVID pandemics, coupled with the PP 10043, have taken us apart for nearly two years. As his undergrad school is also one of the targeted institutions, my husband didn't dare to return to China and get together with our family. Under the impact of PP 10043, one of us can't get a visa to enter America; the other one can't take the risk of going back. Who knows when the next time that we couple could get together again is? What a wonderful life plan only to be destroyed by this PP 10043. It has had a serious impact on my career and my family. At this moment, I come to understand how a speck of dust from the era can feel like a mountain on the shoulder of a person.
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my classmates were all active in medical services during the epidemic
A student from a non-sensitive university who is enrolled in a clinical program
I am a student from a non-sensitive university who is enrolled in a clinical program. Out of my love for the profession and the ideal of saving patients, I successfully applied to the Doctor of Pharmacy program at CSC in collaboration with the University of Michigan in 2018. This program is a professional doctorate, non-research, with only three years of lectures and a final year of internship, and is not a STEM program.
My F1 visa expires in 1 year, so I return every year to renew it and do my internship. This time, due to the epidemic, the embassy was not open, so I bounced around Cambodia for my visa. After the regular questions, the visa officer asked me about my relationship with the military and my source of funding, I informed him that CSC contributed some living expenses and submitted a letter of funding, the visa officer informed me that I was checked, but a day later I was denied the visa. I had no choice but to return to my home country, and this March, I succeeded in expediting my application on the grounds that the medical-related profession should be exempted from national interest, but I did not expect to be rejected on the spot. Both the US school and I were extremely confused as to why I was denied a visa. I had a year of online classes where my days and nights were reversed, my physical and mental health suffered greatly, and I had to endure the torture of being forced to drop out of school if I did not complete my final year internship within the United States.
I never thought that my major could have anything to do with "civil-military integration", so it was not until this April that I learned from other students who were denied visas that my first two visas went well, but this time I was inexplicably denied for PP10043. I don't understand how a mere scholarship has become a reason to stigmatize me as harmful to US national security. I had already acquired some clinical skills while in the United States, provided medication counseling and vaccinations to many residents, my classmates were all active in medical services during the epidemic, and I had thought about contributing to human health during the raging epidemic, but all of this became a moot point under PP10043. Under the pretext of national security, the US rejected Chinese students without a brain, and even rejected medical students like me in the environment of the new crown epidemic, to the detriment of the US itself, and in complete violation of the embassy's statement that "cas e by case review of applicants will be conducted", which is unreasonable and unfair.