U of T offers to host some Harvard international students amid Trump turmoil

Nick Logan · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 26, 2025 1:31 PM EDT | Last Updated: 6 minutes ago

International students facing imaginable visa restrictions amid U.S. President Donald Trump's crackdown connected Harvard University whitethorn person a back-up program for returning to schoolhouse successful the autumn — studying successful Canada. 

The University of Toronto's Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy says it volition connection options for planetary postgraduate students readying to instrumentality to the John F. Kennedy School of Government, amended known arsenic Harvard Kennedy School, to proceed their studies successful this country.

The agreement, according to an announcement connected the Munk School website, would let the students to instrumentality courses from a premix of Kennedy School instructors, some online and in-person, arsenic good arsenic University of Toronto faculty. 

"We are announcing these contingency plans present to alleviate the uncertainty galore students feel, but we volition not officially motorboat these programs unless determination is capable request from students who are incapable to travel to the United States owed to visa oregon introduction restrictions," Kennedy School Dean Jeremy Weinstein said successful an email to students, The Boston Globe reported. 

The Trump medication has been astatine likelihood with Harvard for months aft the assemblage rejected authorities demands meant to code blimpish complaints it had go excessively wide and tolerated anti-Jewish harassment — though the demands person been wide derided arsenic a determination to soundlessness pro-Palestinian rallies astatine assemblage campuses crossed the U.S. 

Last month, the Trump administration revoked Harvard's quality to enrol planetary students arsenic portion of a unit run seeking changes to governance and policies astatine the Ivy League schoolhouse successful Cambridge, Mass.

Administration officials besides person chopped much than $2.6 cardinal US successful probe grants, ended national contracts and threatened to revoke the tax-exempt presumption for the schoolhouse Trump has derided arsenic a hotbed of liberalism.

The assemblage called it amerciable retaliation for rejecting the White House's demands to overhaul Harvard policies astir field protests, admissions, hiring and different issues.

Harvard sued the Department of Homeland Security successful May aft the bureau withdrew the school's certification to big overseas students and contented paperwork for their visas. The enactment would person forced Harvard's astir 7,000 overseas students to transportation oregon hazard being successful the U.S. illegally.

On Monday, a national justice successful Boston issued an bid preserving the quality of overseas students to question to the U.S. for survey astatine Harvard portion the lawsuit is decided.

Trump attacking state of thought, justice says

The latest injunction came Monday successful effect to different determination from Trump, who cited a antithetic ineligible justification erstwhile helium issued a June 4 proclamation blocking overseas students from entering the U.S. to be Harvard.

In her order, Judge Allison Burroughs said the lawsuit is astir state of code and state of thought.

"Here, the government's misplaced efforts to power a reputable world instauration and squelch divers viewpoints seemingly due to the fact that they are, successful immoderate instances, opposed to this Administration's ain views, endanger these rights," she wrote.

Burroughs issued a preliminary injunction past Friday allowing Harvard to proceed to enrol planetary students for the clip being. 

Trump posted connected his Truth Social level Friday that a woody with the assemblage is imaginable and could beryllium announced soon. 

"They person acted highly appropriately during these negotiations, and look to beryllium committed to doing what is right," helium said. 

WATCH | Canadian Harvard pupil describes uncertainty amid Trump turmoil:

Plans successful spot but not locked in

There are 2 imaginable options for Kennedy School planetary students, who marque up 59 per cent of the school's population, with radical hailing from astir 100 countries and territories. 

Under the statement with the Munk School, planetary students would beryllium enrolled arsenic "full-time, non-degree peculiar students." 

Upon completion of their studies, they volition postgraduate with their Harvard master's degree.

Students participating successful the Kennedy School programme astatine the Munk School are advised by the assemblage to use for a Canadian survey licence by mid-July. 

Although the enactment to be the Munk School is lone unfastened to returning students, the Kennedy School besides has a 2nd contingency program that would let caller planetary students to support studying astatine Harvard. 

That option, which would besides beryllium offered to returning students, would spot the courses offered online, with 3 in-person meetings that would instrumentality spot successful cities elsewhere successful the satellite implicit the people of the world year.

But neither program is simply a done deal. 

Not lone are they babelike connected demand, but they inactive request support by the New England Commission of Higher Education. 

It's unclear if different Harvard schools person reached agreements for their planetary students. 

But Harvard president Alan M. Garber assured planetary students earlier this month that plans were being developed. 

WATCH | Canadian Harvard prof says Trump attacks connected instauration 'authoritarian':