Students Grapple with Possible Visa Law Changes
There is a common theme to many news articles this week, focusing on the potential changes in immigration policies that could impact students who are already in the US and incoming students who dream of studying in the US. The re-evaluation of visa programs that was directed in one of the President’s many executive orders was due February 19th. To date, nothing has been released; our team is closely monitoring the issue.
“The part that we’re most concerned with as practitioners is the part about a potential ban, a travel ban,” Kolly said. “But there’s also some other things there that are implicit in the executive order that includes increased scrutiny for people from certain countries, (and) all the signaling is that it will be from certain Muslim countries, but it could be any country that the United States has determined it has geopolitical animus with.”
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How Trump’s Sweeping New Policies Could Change Travel
This article is worth the five-minute read. While the first section touches on the new policies that the new administration wants to enact, it also goes into details on anticipated impacts of those policies. It touches on the “mega-decade” or what we have referred to as “sportgedden.” Over the next 10 years, the US is set to host major sporting events from FIFA to the Olympics. It also discusses the impact on domestic travel by car and train and all the national parks tourist love to experience. Making it harder to come to the US isn’t good for the US economy.
“From immigration rules to trade wars, these changes will make travel to and within the US a lot more complicated and way less appealing. It’s like putting up a giant ‘Do not enter’ sign just as the world is getting back into full travel mode,” said Kristin Winkaffe, founder of travel firm Winkaffe Global Travel. “If you make it harder for people to get visas, fewer people will come – it’s that simple.”
How Indian Students Could Benefit from US Immigration Changes
This article does a great job of looking on a potential bright side of Trump 2.0: OPT support. Positive changes to OPT would benefit both universities and students, if implemented. While we saw OPT defended in Trump 1.0 and there are strong supporters advocating for high-skilled immigration, there are also strong opponents in the new administration. All the issues raised in this article are ones our team is following closely.
The U.S. has long been the top destination for Indian students seeking world-class education and career opportunities. However, recent discussions on changes to work authorization programs – such as Optional Practical Training (OPT), Curricular Practical Training (CPT), and the H-1B visa – have sparked uncertainty. While some concerns are valid, exaggerated media reports overlook how some of these reforms could actually favor skilled Indian graduates seeking opportunities in the United States.
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Other News
The DEI Hills Higher Ed Is Willing to Die On
The Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights issued a scathing Dear Colleague letter that offered a sweeping interpretation of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision against race-conscious admissions. The letter argued that any consideration of race in campus policies and practices is “illegal,” including in “hiring,” “administrative support” and “all other aspects of student, academic, and campus life.” It also took aim at a host of campus strategies adopted in recent years to reach more diverse applicants and retain minority students, including race-based scholarships, affinity group housing and graduation ceremonies, and optional standardized testing policies. Read more on Inside Higher Ed >
Teachers Sue Trump Administration for Trying to Weaponize Civil Rights Laws
A coalition of educators and sociologists filed a lawsuit on Tuesday challenging the U.S. Department of Education for threatening to withhold funding from schools that don't comply with the Trump administration’s radical revision of long-established federal civil rights law. Learn more on Common Dreams >
