It takes a while for sports talents from Brabant who are preparing for an American adventure. Every year a number of talents go to the US with a scholarship to study or exercise at a university. But due to a sudden decision of the US government, they cannot apply for a student visa for the time being and it is uncertain whether they will get the start of the school year. “If I don’t report on time, I can’t start my studies there.”
The temporary break was imposed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Washington, commissioned by President Trump. His government wants to sharper foreign students sharper from now on, especially through their social media use. Until that new screening process is fully on legs, embassies in Europe are not allowed to schedule new visa agreements. Appointments that were already planned could continue, but those who did not yet have an appointment will be on hold.
“My future plans are on a thread.”
Dinand van Helvoort (21) from Gemert had already received his admission to the Brevard College in North Carolina. He had arranged a house on campus and his Dutch friends for almost a year waved goodbye. But he cannot make a visa appointment at the embassy, the last thing he still had to arrange. “I was shocked when I heard that, because this is really not fun,” he says. “I had arranged everything, made a plan for the future and now it is uncertain whether I will make it. And the worst thing is: you can’t do anything about it.”
Dinand would play football and study in the US. Through an intermediary, the Bossche Kings Talent, images of him came to coaches in America. This is how the choice fell on Brevard. “I wanted to step out of my comfort zone and start the adventure.”
The football player tries to stay positive. “I hope I can make an appointment in a few weeks,” he says. But time is coming: August 11, the school year there starts there, if it does not report at the university, he is no longer welcome. “So I have to apply for my visa before August 1.”
“Super insecure for students and for schools, they can go bankrupt.”
So it remains to be seen until the US government has completed the new screening process and the embassies can restart again. “That can take weeks, but also months,” explains Han de Koning, director of Kings Talent, who helps students who want to take this step on their way. His company is also in uncertainty after this decision of the US government. “We are busy day and night to reassure students and help where we can,” says De Koning. “But now it is hoping that this break will not take too long.”
It is very exciting for Dinand. If his dream trip to America does not go ahead this year, he will continue to study at the Fontys Hogeschool in the Netherlands. “I have a backup plan. But there are also athletes for whom this is really everything, who have trained for years for years. It is even more exciting for them,” he says.
The king expects that not only organizations and students will have a hard time here, if the visa agreements cannot be made on time. “American universities are also running major financial risks,” he says. “There are schools that are largely dependent on the tuition of foreign students. If this takes a long time, schools can just go bankrupt.”
What is a student visa?
A student visa is a special paper that you need if you want to study in America. You apply for it through the American embassy, after you are admitted to a school or university there. You must then fill in a form, pay, and make an appointment for an interview at the embassy. During that conversation you show why you want to go to America and if everything goes well you get your visa. Some students receive a ‘scholarship’: that is a scholarship that you can earn with, for example, good grades or sports talent.