A University of Michigan student from Myanmar has been unable to return to the U.S. to complete his degree after President Trump imposed a travel ban on 12 countries, leaving him stranded abroad following a summer internship. Patrick Thaw had planned to resume his studies in Ann Arbor but found re-entry impossible once the ban took effect in January 2026.
The travel ban has created cascading complications for thousands of international students, forcing universities to scramble with remote learning options and international partnerships while some students like Thaw abandon their U.S. education entirely.
Patrick Thaw had spent two years building a life at the University of Michigan. The neuroscience major from Myanmar had joined a biology fraternity, worked in an Alzheimer’s research lab, and found a tight circle of friends who expanded his view of the world. When he landed a summer internship at a medical research institute in Singapore in 2024, it felt like another step forward.
Then President Trump announced a travel ban on 12 countries, including Myanmar.
The ban made it impossible for Thaw to return to Ann Arbor. Stranded 8,000 miles from campus, the 21-year-old could not reenroll. Now, two years into his degree, he is applying to universities in Canada and Australia, effectively abandoning his U.S. education. “If I knew it was going to go down this badly, I wouldn’t have left the United States,” he said.
The impact extends far beyond one student. Universities across the country are struggling to accommodate thousands of international students caught in a similar predicament. The Trump administration’s travel restrictions — which include pauses in visa appointments and additional layers of vetting — have contributed to a dip in foreign enrollment for first-time students. Universities are offering alternatives: remote learning arrangements revived from the pandemic era, admission through international partner campuses, and other creative solutions.
“Universities have had to come up with increasingly flexible solutions,” said Sarah Spreitzer, assistant vice president of government relations at the American Council on Education.
Why America Mattered
Thaw’s journey to Michigan had been a long one. Growing up in Myanmar as civil war erupted, higher education opportunities had dwindled. For years, violence was so pervasive that Thaw and his mother took shifts watching the bamboo in their front yard to ensure it didn’t ignite from Molotov cocktails. He was once late for an algebra exam because a bomb exploded in front of his house.
An American university became his lifeline. He applied to colleges “around the clock” and was accepted to Michigan. “The moment I landed in the United States, like, set foot, I was like, this is it,” he said. “This is where I begin my new life.”
On campus, Thaw made an immediate mark. His Jewish studies professor, Cara Rock-Singer, recalled his enthusiasm. “I really work to make it a place where everyone feels not only comfortable, but invested in contributing,” Rock-Singer said. “But Patrick did not need nudging. He was always there to think and take risks.”
His friend Allison Voto said Thaw’s background broadened her perspective. “He was one of the first people I met whose background was very different from hers, which made her more understanding of the world,” she said.
The Scale of Disruption
The stakes for international students like Thaw are substantial. The U.S. hosted nearly 1.2 million international students during the 2024-25 school year. More than 1,400 people from Myanmar had U.S. student visas as of summer 2024, making the country one of the top-represented among those affected by the ban.
A New Path
For Thaw, Michigan had offered the study abroad option of an Australian university partnership — a path that might have kept him technically enrolled while the ban remained in place. But the uncertainty surrounding the ban’s duration and visa obstacles led him to abandon the arrangement. “I cannot just wait for the travel ban to just end and get lifted and go back, because that’s going to be an indefinite amount of time,” he said.
Instead, he has been accepting offers from schools in Australia and Canada. The University of Toronto emerged as his top choice — a four-hour drive from his Michigan friends. Voto said she would make the journey. “If he comes anywhere near me, basically on the continent of North America, I’m going to go see him,” she said. “I mean, he’s Patrick, you know? That’s absolutely worth it.”
For Thaw, the stranding is a consequence of a single decision to pursue an internship. “Mentally, I’m back in Ann Arbor,” he said. “But physically, I’m trapped in Singapore.”