Happy Leap Day!
Karin Fischer’s Latitudes - Key Takeaways from this Year’s AIEA Meeting
The Association of International Education Administrators (AIEA) held their annual conference in Washington, DC, last week. There was a lot of talk about policy and the impacts of the 2024 US elections. Other topics of discussion included he differences between the two major party candidates, what can be accomplished with a second Biden term, and what challenges we may face with a second Trump term. Fischer provides a good overview of the conference and highlights key issues such as research transparency and security, concerns about OPT, and diversity and sustainability.
Global education leaders have a lot riding on the outcome of November’s presidential and congressional contests. More than ever, they seem aware of the ways that policy priorities, as well as partisanship, can shape their jobs.
Read more on The Chronicle of Higher Education website >
Kenyan Students Flock to the US as F-1 Visa Issuance Soars
This is great news out of Kenya, especially considering our research on the high rates of visa refusals from Africa. According to the US State Department, 2023 was a high mark for student visas out of Africa.
Compared to 2022, the number of visas granted in 2023 witnessed a remarkable 58% increase, jumping from 1,105 to 1,746. This impressive growth propelled Kenya to the second-fastest growing nation in this category.
Get the full story on Mwakilishi.com >
Ottawa Will Shut Down Shady Postsecondary Institutions if Provinces Don’t: Miller
Canada officials are concerned about immigration loopholes in their systems that are allowing for underqualified students to enter through private colleges. Minister of Immigrations Marc Miller is warning “to shut down shady schools that are abusing the international student program if provinces don’t crack down”.
Following Miller's comments, the CEO of the National Association of Career Colleges said his organization supports the federal government's efforts to rein in international student numbers, but he pushed back on the criticism directed at private colleges. “(Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada) statistics are clear: regulated career colleges overwhelmingly train Canadian learners and NACC member institutions account for less than five per cent of all study permits in 2023. We are not the problem,” said Michael Sangster in a statement.
