Dear Matt,
This missive is coming from my home state of Maine. Perhaps the ocean breeze I’m experiencing will cool down your inbox too! And now for the news:
On July 24, The U.S. for Success Coalition, of which NAFSA is a founding member, penned a letter urging the U.S. Department of State to immediately prioritize visa processing for international students and scholars. This issue got a bipartisan boost from Rep. Deborah Ross (D-N.C.) and 14 other House members who wrote Secretary of State Marco Rubio seeking a fix for Indian students struggling to obtain student visa appointments. Indian students form the largest population of international students in this country.
It is feared that the unavailability of timely student visa appointments and visa processing issues will have a real and substantial impact on fall international student enrollment and the U.S. economy as a result. NAFSA and JB International will release on July 29 the first quantitative analysis of what declining enrollment could mean for local economies this fall. Be sure to attend a LinkedIn live event at 2 pm ET on Tuesday for a discussion of the enrollment projections, the economic ramifications, and the urgent need for policy action.
Your advocacy matters, as shown by the Rep. Ross-led letter! Add your voice to the demand for action now by customizing and sending a message to Congress. If applicable, please use this messaging to inform your campus leaders and urge their engagement with Congress on behalf of the institution as well.
On July 23, Columbia University and the current administration reached a settlement that includes provisions related to international student enrollment. As reported by the media, Columbia agrees to inform the Department of Homeland Security when a student is expelled, suspended or arrested. (The provision requiring the university to report about arrests is new; the other provisions were already required.) Columbia will also “take steps to decrease financial dependence on international student enrollment.”
As Fanta Aw, NAFSA CEO communicated to the media, “The mandate to reduce ‘financial dependency’ on international students is myopic. It reduces international education primarily to an economic venture and fails to recognize the critical research and innovation international students contribute to this country, in addition to the social and cultural benefits that accrue from their presence.”
NAFSA has created a resource page on the Dignity Act of 2025 that was introduced by a bipartisan group of U.S. representatives on July 15. This legislation includes some key provisions that NAFSA and its advocates have long advocated for, including expanding dual intent for international students. This is a positive affirmation of our priorities in a very challenging policy environment!
We’ve also updated our Policy Digest, which provides a compilation of recent international education-related policy and regulatory developments for your convenience.
WHAT YOU CAN DO NOW
Register for Tuesday’s LinkedIn live event, “U.S. International Student Enrollment Outlook and Economic Impact.”
Keep the pressure on Congress to intervene on the issue of visa appointments and processing for international students and scholars. The closer we get to August, the more urgent the need for advocacy.
Report through NAFSA’s online form your knowledge of students’ ability to schedule new visa appointments and at which posts, and anticipated fall enrollment (coordinate with your colleagues to avoid duplication).
Yours in the good fight.
Best,
Erica
Erica Stewart
Senior Director, Advocacy & Strategic Communications
NAFSA: Association of International Educators
