US visa problems amid COVID-19 disrupt materials research
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US visa problems amid COVID-19 disrupt materials research
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©Harvard University
ue to high unemployment in the United States owing to the economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic, non-US citizens have been experiencing a bumpy ride this summer when it comes to plans for working or studying in the country. The Trump administration has restricted work visas through the end of 2020, with the possibility of continuing the constraint into 2021. This also pertains to non-US citizens who were outside the country at the time the proclamation was made on June 22, 2020. The visas affected are H-1B, H-2B, J, and H, applying to non-US workers and exchange visitors. “I came back to China last year to attend my grandpa’s funeral. Then I went to refresh my J-1 visa, but haven’t been hearing back since then,” says a materials researcher who has held a postdoctoral position at a university in the United States. He agreed to speak to MRS Bulletin on condition of anonymity.
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“I have to ask my mom—who has an effective visa—to help me deal with my house, cars, etc. in the US,” he says. “I really don’t understand why the US did this to us.” The postdoctoral candidate works on synthesis of two-dimensional (2D) materials and applications in energy storage, 2D magnets, and the terahertz field. To further exacerbate the research environment, the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) that falls under the auspices of the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, limited the ability of students to attend university on an F-1 nonimmigrant student visa unless they attend in-person classes in the Fall semester, as per an ICE announcement on July 7, 2020. Such a stipulation would be difficult to fulfill in major US universities such as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard University who plan to offer most of their courses online for the safety of students and faculty during the pandemic.
Then within just eight days, the Trump administration rescinded the SEVP restrictions, as reported for example by the Boston Herald, “ ‘I have been informed by the parties that they have come to a resolution,’ US District Judge Allison Burroughs said during a Tuesday hearing.” The hearing refers to a lawsuit filed on July 8 by MIT and Harvard for a temporary restraining order and ultimately setting aside the restriction. The two Boston institutions were not alone. On July 13, 2020, 18 states—led by Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey—filed a suit against the directive, and before that, coalitions advocating for science and technology had sent letters to Capitol Hill. The Materials Research Society (MRS) has also signed onto a multi-society letter. “When it comes to immigration issues we tend to work inside of our coalitions,” says Damon Dozier, Director of Government Affairs for MRS. These coalitions, he says, include the Coalition for National Science Funding and the Task Force on American Innovation. In addition to the multi-society letter, MRS President Matt Copel sent a letter on behalf of the Society t
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