Students with US visas safe for now, but others urged to look elsewhere

Barbadians who already hold valid United States student visas can proceed with their study plans as normal, but others planning tertiary education should consider other options, Minister of Training and Tertiary Education Sandra Husbands advised on Thursday.

She confirmed that while the US Embassy in Bridgetown has paused new student visa appointments, existing visas remain unaffected for now.

“We were able to confirm with the United States Embassy here that, indeed, appointments to get visas are on pause, but those persons who have already been issued visas can proceed as normal,” Husbands said at a post-Cabinet press briefing. “This is pending the final decision that is going to be made by the American government in relation to their position with international students.”

The minister urged prospective students to begin actively exploring alternative destinations, including Canada, Europe, Latin America, and the wider Caribbean, “just in case there is not a positive outcome from the stoppage on the US student visas.”

In a broader appeal, Husbands also urged Barbadians travelling abroad for extended periods to register with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, through the nearest consulate or embassy.

She said: “One of the challenges that we have in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade is that, very often, people are overseas for long periods and do not register with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It is very important if you are a Barbadian overseas for any length of time—we are not talking about a two-week or three-week holiday, but if you are going to be out for a period of time—it’s important for you to inform the embassy of your presence and where you are. 

the UWI Cave Hill Campus, Professor Clive Landis. (FP)

Should there be an emergency, should there be anything that is likely to impact you and they need to make contact with you, it’s going to be important for them to be able to reach you. More importantly, you need to have our numbers so that you can reach us when you have an issue or a problem. So we would like to ask all students overseas—parents, family, friends who know of those persons—please ask them to get in touch with the embassy that is nearest to them in the United States,” the minister added.

The uncertainty surrounding US student visa policies could have ripple effects, particularly for American universities that depend on international students for both academic and cultural diversity.

At the University of the West Indies (UWI) Cave Hill Campus, Principal Professor Clive Landis described the disruption as “unfortunate”, but acknowledged it could present new opportunities for the regional university to attract displaced students.

He told Barbados TODAY: “As I mentioned already at the annual meeting of [University] Council in March, where we were already beginning to see restrictions being placed on students, we actually reflected that possibly it might shift the international student market in favour of the Cave Hill Campus. There might be students who are feeling uncertain or unable to go to the US who would look at this first-rate university in the Caribbean—English-speaking, beautiful, safe location, highly respected, internationally ranked—and say, well, maybe we would attend the University of the West Indies instead.”

Professor Landis added that international students enrich university life by offering broader perspectives and enhancing cross-cultural exchange. UWI, he said, has already submitted a policy proposal aimed at positioning Barbados as a regional hub for international tertiary education, noting increased interest from applicants across Africa.

“International students are a vital part of any university. They provide that broader outlook; when students go to another country, it allows them to reflect on their own country, where they are coming from, and it gives them another perspective. They also bring new perspectives,” he said.

“When we speak to our students in exit interviews about what they liked and did not like about UWI, very often the first thing they say is that they loved meeting foreign students. These would, in our case, mostly be from other parts of the Caribbean, but we do have foreign students and we usually have around 100 or so at the Cave Hill Campus, and they add a lot to any university.”

shamarblunt@barbadostoday.bb