Weekly News Round-Up: March 30, 2023

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By Shorelight Team
Published on March 30, 2023

Each week the Shorelight team rounds up trusted headlines on the latest in international education and all things impacting students and universities.

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Wait Time For US Visitor’s Visa Interview In India Cut By 60% This Year, Says Official

Wait times in India have been an ongoing issue our team has been focused on. Many of us know the challenges we’ve faced with the lack of appointments and then the challenge of snagging appointments by those who turn around and sell the time slots. Julie Stufft, the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Visa Services, shared that the goal is to issue 1M visas this year, which is above pre-pandemic levels. They are doing this by increasing staff and allowing applicants to go outside of India for their appointments. 

“We have increased the number of officers going to India. We have set up arrangements, which is unprecedented, with other embassies in the world like Bangkok to take Indians who are seeking visas. We are opening a new consulate in Hyderabad... and we’re just focused on making sure that we can bring the wait time down in India,” Stufft said.

Get the full story on Business Insider >

The Role Of Politics In Where Students Want To Go To College

“We won’t know the impact for sure until after the May 1 deadlines, or, for more colleges, until students actually enroll. But a new study from the Art & Science Group, being released today, found that nearly one in four high school seniors ‘ruled out institutions solely due to the politics, policies, or legal situation in the state’ where the college was located. Further, the study found that ‘this behavior was statistically true across liberals, moderates and conservatives.’”

Get the full story on Inside Higher Ed >

What A Widening TikTok Ban Could Mean For International Student Recruitment

Many of us have been following the news on TikTok and efforts by lawmakers to better understand the platform and potentially ban or limit use in the US. Users, young and old, industry, small businesses, and many others are arguing against this type of action by the government. This article does a good job of highlighting some of the impacts we would experience in the education sector.

“For international marketing teams at schools and universities, TikTok is especially relevant because international students from key emerging markets use it to research study abroad options and share recommendations and experiences. This graph from Statista indicates the countries in which TikTok has the highest penetration. Indonesia, Brazil, Mexico, Vietnam, Philippines, and Thailand are priority source countries for many educators in 2023.”

Get the full story on ICEF Monitor >