Dear Erica,
Congress ended a brief partial shutdown on Tuesday by approving a FY2026 spending package that provides funding for the majority of federal agencies through September. It includes funding for federal international education and exchange programs at the Department of State, such as the Fulbright program, the Gilman Scholarship, the Stevens Initiative and the Department of Education’s Title VI and Fulbright-Hays programs. And while FY26 amounts are lower than the prior year funding levels, it is encouraging that Congress affirmed the importance of these programs, especially given the funding freeze that disrupted operations last year and the administration’s proposed changes to the Department of Education. As I said before, this is due in no small part to advocate voices like yours!
It is important to note that Congress still hasn’t reached agreement on funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as debate regarding new restrictions on U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers continues. Temporary funding for DHS is set to expire on February 13 though ICE and CBP are already funded for a number of years through the One Big Beautiful Bill Act that passed on July 4, 2025. USCIS is fee funded, so their work should not be impacted by a shutdown.
In international student mobility news, 2024-25 data from the United Kingdom reveals that international enrollment fell for the second consecutive year. Analysis by the ICEF Monitor finds that the drop was driven by a 10 percent decrease in students from outside the European Union enrolling in “taught” postgraduate programs. A 2024 policy change prevents students in these programs from bringing dependents with them. In contrast, international students enrolled in postgraduate “research” programs can still bring their family members, and these programs saw an 11 percent enrollment increase. The PIE News adds that the popularity of UK transnational education programs is soaring, noting that the UK’s latest international education strategy emphasizes overseas partnerships and a host of British universities have opened branch campuses in India.
Meanwhile, Open Doors 2025 data on international scholars released this week shows that the number of international scholars engaged in research, teaching, and clinical activities at U.S. colleges and universities increased 3.5 percent from the previous year. This represents the fourth year of growth, but is a modest increase compared to the 10 percent increase seen the year before that. Of course, there is reason to fear that figure will fall further without a U.S. government course correction.
A recent column in NAFSA’s International Educator magazine explores the post-study employment uncertainty for students, institutions, and industries created by recent and proposed changes in U.S. immigration policy and points out that despite the federal government’s actions, many local and regional entities remain committed to attracting and retaining international students. The author cites Campus Philly and OneROC in Rochester, New York as examples of what is possible in aligning education, workforce, and economic goals. Global Detroit is another example. If you’re aware of others, share them with us!
The U.S. business sector also has an important role to play in advancing and advocating for international education, as pointed out in an opinion piece by University of Colorado-Boulder Chancellor, Justin Schwartz. Schwartz argues that international education is critical to U.S. competitiveness and urges business leaders to partner with universities on internships, support study abroad programs, and recognize international experience as a hiring advantage.
NAFSA has created a quick-reference table that shows recent Department of State and DHS policies that continue to impact visa or immigration benefits for nationals from certain countries. The information is organized by country and includes recent travel bans, the USCIS processing pause and changes to visa validity period. You’ll find this resource is much more user friendly than some of the federal agency pages! :-/
Finally, in last week’s newsletter, I shared that Texas joined Florida and Missouri in proposing limits to the use of the H-1B category for employees of public colleges and universities. The Chronicle of Higher Education has created a database that shows the number of H-1B applications approved at public institutions in Florida and Texas and identified the 15 institutions across the country that approved the most H-1B applications. Visit NAFSA’s website for more information on state-level challenges to the use of H-1B.
WHAT YOU CAN DO:
Thank you kindly.
Best,
Erica
Erica Stewart
Senior Director, Advocacy & Strategic Communications
NAFSA: Association of International Educators
