Hong Kong's doors are "wide open" for those potentially affected by the US government's efforts to block Harvard University from enrolling foreign students, according to the SAR's leader who called the policy "discriminatory and unfair".

Chief Executive John Lee also said on Tuesday that he would consider further raising the ceiling for non-local student intake at the city's eight higher education institutions funded by the University Grants Committee (UGC).

The Trump administration sought to revoke the Massachusetts-based Ivy League school's ability to enrol international students, which was later blocked temporarily by a judge after the university sued to stop the decision.

"Hong Kong will welcome any students who have been discriminated by the US policy, who face difficulties to study or continue their studies in US universities," Lee told reporters ahead of an Executive Council meeting.

"The Hong Kong SAR government, together with the eight UGC-subsidised universities, will do all our best to facilitate and assist any students who suffered from this discriminatory and unfair treatment, so that they will find a way to study in Hong Kong."

The chief executive announced in his 2023 Policy Address that public universities would be allowed to double the number of non-local undergraduate admissions, raising the enrolment ceiling from 20 percent to 40 percent.

"We have room in this quota to accept students who have problems studying in the US to come to these eight UGC-funded universities. If there's the need, I will consider further raising this ceiling," Lee said.