Hong Kong seeks to attract international students displaced by U.S. visa crackdown

By lauraharris // 2025-06-01

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The U.S. revoked Harvard University's ability to enroll foreign students, citing alleged antisemitism, pro-Hamas sympathies and collaboration with China, impacting nearly 6,800 international students.
Hong Kong urged its universities to assist affected Harvard students, offering streamlined admissions and support to attract global talent and reinforce its role as an education hub.
Hong Kong universities like the University of Hong Kong and the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology announced unconditional offers, fast-tracked admissions, and academic support for displaced Harvard students.
Meanwhile, Ireland launched a program to attract researchers unsettled by U.S. visa restrictions, targeting fields like AI, semiconductors and healthcare to bolster academic and scientific sectors.
Both Hong Kong and Ireland are capitalizing on U.S. policy changes to position themselves as alternatives for displaced students and researchers, emphasizing academic freedom and talent retention.

The Hong Kong Education Bureau (EDB) has urged local universities to "open their doors and attract talent," following the Trump administration's abrupt revocation of Harvard University's ability to enroll foreign students. On May 22, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) stripped Harvard of its Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) certification due to alleged antisemitism and collaboration with the Chinese Communist Party. The revocation, set to take effect from the 2025-2026 academic year, leaves current international students with a stark choice: Transfer to another SEVP-certified institution or risk losing their legal status in the United States. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem claimed Harvard failed to comply with federal demands for records related to its international student population. She then accused the university of fostering an "unsafe campus environment hostile to Jewish students, promoting pro-Hamas sympathies and employing racist 'diversity, equity and inclusion' policies." While students graduating this semester will be allowed to complete their studies, others must now seek alternative options unless the decision is overturned by a court. This directly impacts nearly 6,800 foreign students. As a response, the EDB reached out to universities in the Chinese special administrative region to facilitate admissions for eligible students, including those holding Harvard offers. (Related: Harvard University refuses to comply with Trump admin's demands to combat campus antisemitism.) "The [EDB] has promptly called on all universities in Hong Kong to introduce facilitation measures for those eligible with a view to safeguarding the legitimate rights and interests of students and scholars, and to attract top talent," the bureau wrote in an email. The bureau also contacted the Harvard Club of Hong Kong to offer support for admitted students, pledging to monitor the situation as global education policies shift.

Ireland to launch global talent initiative to attract researchers amid U.S. visa restrictions

Hong Kong, home to five top-100 universities in the Times Higher Education rankings, aims to reinforce its role as an "international education hub." The EDB continued that it "will continue to keep a close eye on the needs of students whose studies have been affected by the shifting global education landscape." The University of Hong Kong (HKU) and the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) have already responded. HKUST announced on May 23 that it would welcome Harvard undergraduates, postgraduates and admitted students with unconditional offers, streamlined procedures and academic support. "HKUST will provide unconditional offers, streamlined admission procedures and academic support to facilitate a seamless transition for interested students," the university said. Similarly, Ireland is launching a global talent initiative to attract researchers and academics unsettled by U.S. visa restrictions and funding cuts. Earlier in May, Ireland's higher education minister James Lawless secured government approval for a new program aimed at attracting early-career and established researchers to Irish institutions. The initiative, developed in partnership with Research Ireland, will focus on critical fields such as energy security, healthcare, life sciences, digital technologies and AI, food security, cyber security, semiconductors and quantum technologies. "In a time of uncertainty for the scientific community, Ireland remains firmly committed to investing in scientific excellence and upholding the core values of academic integrity and independence," Lawless said in a press release. "We are committed to supporting Irish researchers at home and also to welcoming exceptional global talent who might now be questioning where they’ll be able to further their work." Head over to EducationSystem.news for more similar stories. Watch this clip about colleges facing backlash and potentially losing funding over allegations of antisemitism on campus.

This video is from the NewsClips channel on Brighteon.com.

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Ireland to launch global talent initiative to attract researchers amid U.S. visa restrictions

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