Dear Unnamed,
U.S. employers, international students, and higher education institutions experienced a measure of relief after USCIS clarified that the new $100,000 H-1B fee is not triggered by a ‘change of status’ request, such as moving from F-1 to H-1B status, if filed when the individual is within the United States. However, as pointed out by Stuart Anderson in a recent Forbes story and detailed on NAFSA’s website, the USCIS guidance appears more restrictive than the proclamation in describing the grounds for making exceptions to the fee. The guidance says exceptions will be granted in the “extraordinarily rare” circumstance where the presence of the H-1B worker is in the “national interest” and “no American worker is available to fill the role.” Huh.
In sharp contrast to the barriers the U.S. government is erecting that will make it harder to attract and retain international talent, China has introduced a new K visa policy that makes it easier for young science and technology talent to enter the country. This is in line with China's national strategic priorities, which include “more proactive, open, and effective” policies to attract international talent. This prompted Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL-08) to send a letter to the U.S. Secretaries of State, Homeland Security, and Labor warning that U.S. immigration rule changes imperil American economic competitiveness. He wrote, “While America disincentivizes the H-1B and closes its advanced degree pathways to foreign students, the PRC is positioning the K visa as a powerful magnet for global talent.” Read more in this Bloomberg story.
A new white paper commissioned by the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine and co-authored by Michael Clemens, Jeremy Neufeld, and Amy Nice explores how current and proposed U.S. policy changes will affect the STEM workforce and economic growth in this country. Spoiler alert: it’s not good. The study finds that GDP losses could reach $240 to $481 billion annually after a decade and that a one-third decline in foreign STEM graduates could lead to a six percent reduction in the overall STEM workforce. You can hear Michael Clemens talk more about the report’s findings as part of his presentation during the October 23 Linkedin Live event with NAFSA.
The government shutdown continues. Day 24. But that doesn’t mean Congress is quiet. Earlier this week, NAFSA’s Public Policy team led a small but mighty contingent of senior internationalization leaders from institutions of all sizes, types, and geographies to push their members of Congress to 1) support measures that are essential to recruiting and retaining international students, namely the Keep STEM Talent Act and an intact Optional Practical Training program, and 2) restore and sustain federal investment in international education and exchange programs. You can add your voice! See the NAFSA advocacy campaigns in the What You Can Do section below.
In a bipartisan letter, six members of the House of Representatives called on President Trump and Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick to join the group in “crafting a bipartisan solution for high-skilled immigration reform.” The letter, led by Reps. Sam Liccardo (CA-16) and Jay Obernolte (CA-23) and co-signed by Reps. Maria Elvira Salazar (R-FL-27), Suhas Subramanyam (D-VA-10), Don Bacon (R-NB-02), and Greg Stanton (R-AZ-04) argued that America’s innovation economy depends on both strong domestic talent and access to a highly skilled workforce from abroad, most of whom are educated at U.S. institutions.” We agree! If you are represented by one of these representatives, please thank them on social media and encourage your fellow constituents to do the same.
Both the Global Visa Wait Times web page of the Department of State and the SEVIS Data Mapping Tool of the Department of Homeland Security have been updated. The latter now shows the number of active international student SEVIS records in October (though again, we wonder why not wait until the month is over?). Given the way the information is presented (without percent change statistics, year over year data, or any trends data), these sources hardly make good tea leaves for understanding international student mobility right now. We will try to share some analysis in future issues.
WHAT YOU CAN DO
Thank you kindly.
Best,
Erica
Erica Stewart
Senior Director, Advocacy & Strategic Communications
NAFSA: Association of International Educators
