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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
National
Makiya Seminera

He left Myanmar to study in Michigan. Trump’s travel ban cut short that dream

United States Michigan Myanmar Donald Trump International Students Singapore Ann Arbor Australia
People walk around the University of Michigan campus in Ann Arbor, Mich., Jan. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Emily Elconin) - (Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

Patrick Thaw experienced a bittersweet moment seeing his University of Michigan friends together for the first time since sophomore year ended. They were starting a new semester in Ann Arbor, while he was FaceTiming in from Singapore, stranded half a world away.

Last June, while interviewing to renew his US student visa, Patrick Thaw's world was suddenly turned upside down by President Donald Trump's travel ban. The restrictions targeted people from 12 countries, including Thaw's native Myanmar.

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