Art Major Reacts to New Student Visa Rule

VICE -- Okubo Takahiro, Japan, San Francisco State University

Now Takahiro may have to move across the world, and take classes remotely with a 16-hour time difference between California and Japan. “It’s almost night-shift life,” he told VICE News.

What he’s most worried about, however — even more than the time difference or abruptly having to pack up his whole life—is when he might be able to reenter the United States. The difficulty of getting back is why he decided not to leave during the pandemic this summer in the first place.

“I’m an Art major and came to the U.S. to learn to make artwork. I don’t want to imagine that I wouldn’t be able to go back to the studio for more than a year,” he said.