Bolt from the blue

'No room for error'

"A four-year cap means mid-program extensions, and new restrictions on switching schools or research areas shrink the room for error," said Wei Peiran, an independent educational consultant based in Hangzhou.

He currently works with Chinese students eyeing admissions in the top 30 universities in the US.

"The group hit hardest is that hoping to work in the US after graduating: the post-study grace period has been cut from 60 days to 30, so there's much less time for job hunt after finishing school," Wei said.

South Korean students are also shaken by the new stay limits. Kim Se-hee, a 24-year-old who transferred to a nursing school in Chicago last fall and has three to four years of study ahead before seeking a nursing position at a hospital through optional practical training, or OPT, fears she could be sent back home before getting a chance to launch her nursing career.

"I can't graduate early by cramming my coursework, there's no guarantee I'll pass the NCLEX-RN (US licensing exam for registered nurses) on my first attempt, and I've been told the OPT application process also takes time. Four years really isn't much time," Kim told The Korea Herald.

"I've been working toward building a life in the US, so if I have to go back to South Korea right after getting my US nursing license, it would all be for nothing."

The uncertainty is also weighing on South Koreans pursuing education in the US, with some saying the proposed four-year limit could leave little room for unexpected changes, such as switching majors after discovering another field that better suits their interests.

"I'm starting to wonder whether studying in the US is worth the risk if the rules can change after I get there," one user wrote on Mijunmo, a popular online community for South Koreans interested in studying, immigrating and living in the US.

Still, Wei noted the Trump administration's frequent policy reversals.

"Last year, (the US government) talked tough on Chinese student visas, then months later the president said he welcomed 600,000 Chinese students. My advice to prospective students is always the same: policies change, but your planning shouldn't shift with every headline."

THE STRAITS TIMES, SINGAPORE-THE KOREA HERALD, SOUTH KOREA