ST Picks Why South east Asian visitors are turning away from the US

KUALA LUMPUR/JAKARTA/SINGAPORE – For months, 19-year-old Noah (not his real name) from Malaysia had been researching how to study marine biology in the United States: Looking into visa rules, work opportunities and internships. But in April, he gave up on his dream.

“I had my heart set on Hawaii – some people call it the Disneyland for marine scientists,” he told The Straits Times.

Countries such as Australia, Britain and the US have long been popular overseas destinations for many South-east Asians. But there appears to be a growing sense of wariness among potential students and other travellers from the region about heading to the US.

Policy shifts under the Trump administration, including sharper scrutiny of international students and visa cancellations, amid an immigration crackdown have led to reassessments by would-be arrivals from South-east Asia.

For Noah, the worries have meant pivoting to local options or considering Singapore and Australia. He declined to use his real name as a precaution in the event of future travel to the US.

“I have turned my eyes closer to home. South-east Asia has incredible marine ecosystems too, and maybe this is a sign to root my work right here, where it matters most,” he said.

Others have seen their opportunities abruptly paused. A 28-year-old Malaysian participant in the US State Department’s Young South-east Asian Leaders Initiative, who requested anonymity, said his five-week fellowship in the US was postponed without explanation in March.

Since January, more than 4,700 international student records have been removed from the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System, a database managed by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE),according to Reuters and the American Immigration Lawyers Association.

The US Embassy in Jakarta reported 8,348 Indonesian students in the US for 2023-2024, the second-highest figure from South-east Asia, after Vietnam.