He left the US for an internship. Trump’s travel ban made it impossible to return

The first time Patrick Thaw saw his University of Michigan friends together since the end of his sophomore year was bittersweet. They were starting a new semester in Ann Arbor, while he was FaceTiming from Singapore, stranded on the other side of the world.

One day last June, he was interviewing to renew his U.S. student visa, and the next day his world was turned upside down by President Donald Trump’s travel ban on people from 12 countries, including Thaw’s native Myanmar.

“If I had known things were going to be this bad, I wouldn’t have left the United States,” he said of his decision to leave Michigan for a summer internship in Singapore.

The ban was one of several ways the Trump administration made life more difficult for international students during his first year in the White House, including by suspending visa appointments and carrying out additional screening that contributed to a decline in foreign enrollment for new students. New students had to look elsewhere, but the obstacles made life particularly complicated for those like Thaw who were well into their academic careers in the United States.

Universities have had to find increasingly flexible solutions, such as reestablishing pandemic-era remote learning arrangements or admitting to international campuses with which they partner, said Sarah Spreitzer, assistant vice president for government relations at the American Council on Education.

In Thaw’s case, a Michigan administrator pointed out that study abroad was an option. As long as the travel ban was in effect, a program in Australia seemed viable – at least initially.

In the meantime, Thaw had little to do in Singapore but wait. He made friends, but they were busy with school or work. After his internship ended, he wasted time checking emails, chatting, taking walks, and eating at restaurants.

“Mentally, I’m back in Ann Arbor,” the 21-year-old said. “But physically, I’m stuck in Singapore.”

When Thaw arrived in Ann Arbor in 2023, he threw himself into campus life. He immediately joined his roommate’s group of friends, who had gone to high school together about an hour away. Specializing in neuroscience, he also joined a biology fraternity and an Alzheimer’s disease research laboratory.

His curiosity led him to explore a wide range of courses, including a Jewish studies course. The professor, Cara Rock-Singer, said Thaw told her his interest came from reading the works of Philip Roth.

“I’m really working to make this a place where everyone feels not only comfortable, but invested in their contribution,” Rock-Singer said. “But Patrick didn’t need to be pushed. He was always there to think and take risks.”

When Thaw landed his clinical research internship at a medical school in Singapore, it felt like another step toward success.

He heard speculation that the Trump administration might impose travel restrictions, but it was barely an afterthought — something he even joked about with friends before leaving.

Then the travel ban was announced.

Thaw’s dream of studying in the United States had lasted a lifetime, but it was dashed – at least for the moment – ​​by a trip abroad. Stuck in Singapore, he couldn’t sleep and his mind was focused on a single question: “Why did you come here?” »

As a child, Thaw had his sights set on attending an American university. This desire has become more urgent as higher education opportunities have diminished following the outbreak of civil war in Myanmar.

For a time, tensions were so high that Thaw and his mother took turns making sure the bamboo trees in their yard didn’t catch fire from Molotov cocktails. One day, he was late for an algebra test because a bomb exploded outside his house, he said.

So when he was accepted to the University of Michigan after applying to “around the clock” colleges, Thaw was thrilled.

“The moment I landed in the United States, I set foot, I was like, this is it,” Thaw said. “This is where I start my new life.”

When Thaw talked about life in Myanmar, it often led to deep conversations, said Allison Voto, a friend of hers. He was one of the first people she met whose background was very different from hers, which allowed her to “understand the world better,” she said.

In the 2024-2025 school year, the United States welcomed nearly 1.2 million international students. As of summer 2024, more than 1,400 people from Myanmar held U.S. student visas, making it one of the highest-represented countries among those affected by the travel ban.

A Michigan official said the school recognizes the challenges some international students face and is committed to ensuring they have all the support and options it can offer. The university declined to comment specifically on Thaw’s situation.

While the study abroad program in Australia raised hopes that Thaw could remain enrolled at Michigan, uncertainty around the travel ban and visa hurdles ultimately led him to decide against it.

He had left Myanmar to study and it was time to finish what he had started, which meant moving on.

“I can’t just wait until the travel ban ends and it’s lifted and go back, because it’s going to last an indefinite period of time,” he said.

He began applying to universities outside the United States, receiving acceptance letters from schools in Australia and Canada. He hopes to attend the University of Toronto, which would put his friends in Ann Arbor just a four-hour drive away from his visit.

“If he comes near me, basically on the North American continent, I will go see him,” said Voto, whose friendship with Thaw has recently been defined by daylong interruptions in their text conversations. “I mean, it’s Patrick, you know? It’s definitely worth it.”

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