Dear Unnamed,
Greetings from Orlando! The NAFSA 2026 Annual Conference & Expo concludes today and if you’re here with me in the convention center, I don’t need to tell you what a week it has been! A highlight of every conference is the opportunity to rally our advocates in person and share our message of empowerment with the wider conference community.
This included recognizing our 2026 NAFSA Advocate of the Year, a best-in-show poster session presented by three previous Advocates of the Year, a session on activating your advocacy superpowers by three Advocacy Day 2025 alums, and a coffee hour mixer for recent (and future) Advocacy Day participants—and that’s not all! Take a look at my LinkedIn post for a glimpse of NAFSA’s amazing advocacy ambassadors in action (yes, I love alliteration).
And of course, if you haven’t yet, add your name to the advocacy campaigns that we highlighted each day as part of the International Education Action Week. These include messages to Congress urging their swift attention to the “perfect storm” affecting international students this fall, the harm caused by the USCIS adjudication pause, and continued funding for study abroad programs. We also created a message for your state elected officials extolling the virtues of international education.
The conference week was made even sweeter by the fact we weren’t hit with the final rule that would replace D/S with a fixed admission period. We promise to remain vigilant!
We are also keenly aware of the May 21 policy memo that indicates USCIS will significantly change how it adjudicates permanent residence (green card) applications filed inside the United States, effective immediately. For decades, a person already inside the United States was able to apply for a green card (adjust their status) without having to leave the country. The new policy directs USCIS officers to treat adjustment of status as a benefit that is only granted in extraordinary circumstances and makes applying for a green card at a U.S. consulate or embassy abroad the default process. On a positive note, USCIS has indicated it will consider exceptions to this default on a case-by-case basis, but it is unclear which factors they will be considering. Visit NAFSA’s resource page for more info.
In other news, NAFSA has joined three comment letters in response to the Department of Labor’s proposed rule that would increase the prevailing wage floors for H-1B visa holders and employment-based immigrants across all four wage levels. The letters assert that the rule, as drafted, would NOT improve protections for U.S. workers and cause the greatest harm to workers the United States should be trying its hardest to retain: early-career, U.S.-educated talent whose economic contributions are significant. As described in an article for Forbes by Stuart Anderson, a report by the National Foundation for American Policy found that the rule is likely unlawful. The public comment period for this rule ended May 26.
Safe travels to all heading home from Orlando--and thank you for coming!
That’s all for now. More from me in June!
Best,
Erica
Erica Stewart
Senior Director, Advocacy & Strategic Communications
NAFSA: Association of International Educators
