Alleged Abuse of the U.S. Student Visa System: A Fact-Based Response
In our January 9th update, we shared an article from THE: Will Trump Take On Misuse of Student Visas? The focus of the article was on visa overstays, fake students, and Day 1 CPT. The article contained inaccuracies specifically about visa overstays and did a very poor job outlining the policies and processes that support international education in the US. Our team immediately reached out to our partners at the U.S. for Success Coalition and the coalition agreed a response was needed. Yesterday, NAFSA published a thoughtful and accurate response to the article on its blog. If you read nothing else today, this article is worth the read!
We at NAFSA appreciate the authors’ attempt to spark conversation about areas of concern regarding international student visa practices and policy as described in their opinion piece, Will Trump Take on Misuse of Student Visas? Attempts—successful or not—to fraudulently exploit the international student system cause immeasurable harm to legitimate international students and all those who seek to support international education and should be of grave concern. Unfortunately, the piece contains some oversimplifications and errors in data interpretation that warrant untangling and correcting if we are to advance a common understanding of these issues and make progress on addressing them.
Trump Administration to Cancel Student Visas of Pro-Palestinian Protesters
We have been anticipating action by the president on the issue of anti-Semitism. He issued this order in his first term, E.O. 13899, which focused on anti-Semitic harassment in schools and on university and college campuses. During his 2024 campaign, he promised to reinstate that order, and the resulting Additional Measures to Combat Anti-Semitism order was published yesterday afternoon. In the article, there is a link to the actual fact sheet for the president’s order that gets published along with the order; the fact sheet specifically addresses students. We will monitor this situation and update you as any new information becomes available.
Deport Hamas Sympathizers and Revoke Student Visas: “To all the resident aliens who joined in the pro-jihadist protests, we put you on notice: come 2025, we will find you, and we will deport you. I will also quickly cancel the student visas of all Hamas sympathizers on college campuses, which have been infested with radicalism like never before.”
Get the full story on Reuters >
What Trump’s Migration Crackdown Could Mean for Foreign Students
This is a good article that covers both the benefits of international students and some of the challenges they may face under the new administration. There are some good facts and charts, as well as several thoughts on areas that could come into focus under President Trump.
Since his return to the White House, Trump has already asked immigration officials to tighten visa vetting procedures, which will likely slow processing times in embassies and consulates. Immigration advocates had expected this increased bureaucratic red tape, which was also a hallmark of Trump’s first term. However, data from his first administration paints a less grim picture for foreign students than Trump’s harsh rhetoric might suggest. During those years, the flow of international students stayed elevated. This time around, experts expect a similar pattern: while cracking down on some kinds of immigration, others, like students, will proceed largely unchanged.
The Coming Decline in High School Graduate Counts, in 5 Charts
We have all been talking about the declining domestic enrollment in the US for several years. This article takes a deeper dive into the numbers and highlights some interesting facts. According to the analysis,“the news wasn’t all bad”.
Estimating future numbers of high school graduates is an important exercise. Projections are just that, and their certainty declines with how far into the future one looks. But prognostication can help policymakers and college leaders with resource management. Administrators also need a sense of the cultural and geographic makeup of their potential college student bodies to better serve them.
