Dear Erica,
While our heads and hearts are still full of all we experienced in Orlando last week, there is plenty of news to keep us focused on the here and now. Here’s what’s new:
In the “the-U.S.-government-keeps-shooting-our-national-interest-in-the-foot" category:
According to an internal memo obtained by the Associated Press, the U.S. Department of State plans to reduce the number of embassies and consulates in Africa that process visa applications from 50 to just 20 “regional hubs.” The timetable for this change is uncertain but could happen as soon as this month. As described on a new NAFSA resource page, this proposal would significantly reduce local access to U.S. visa services and could increase both costs and processing complexity for students, exchange visitors, tourists, and business travelers—especially those who may need permission to enter a third country.
Said Jill Allen Murray, NAFSA deputy director of public policy: “visa appointment availability, processing delays, and high denial rates were already serious obstacles for talented students from the continent. Combined with the current travel ban, these changes make their pursuit of a higher education in the United States even more difficult, to the detriment of our nation’s classrooms, local economies, and long-term global competitiveness. Closing the door to African youth is especially shortsighted given a stark demographic reality: global population growth is expected to slow over the rest of the century everywhere except Africa.” We will keep you updated as more information becomes available.
In the “study-abroad-is-good-for-our-student-careers” category:
IIE and the AIFS Foundation have released a new report: Passport to Leadership: The Influence of Education Abroad on Career Pathways and Leadership Development Across Industries. Survey responses from 44 leaders reveal that these leaders leveraged their experiences abroad throughout their careers, and that those experiences shaped their leadership development specifically.
In the “we’ve-got-to-keep-pressing” category:
NAFSA joined a coalition of higher education-related entities in a letter urging USCIS to resume adjudicating employment authorization for Optional Practical Training and H1-B applications for international students from travel ban countries. Join NAFSA and U.S. for Success Coalition in urging Congress to intervene.
In the “international students are good for our country” category:
One of our favorite talking points at NAFSA is that nearly a quarter of all “unicorn” startups (those valued at $1 billion or more) in the United States were founded by a former international student. NFAP has released a new study which confirms this statistic and adds that the collective value of the 455 immigrant-founded billion-dollar companies in this country is $5 trillion. Read more in this Forbes profile and in this San Francisco Chronicle article, “Immigrant-founded startups are with $5 trillion. Will Trump’s visa policies threaten the next boom?” which includes additional interviews with the founders themselves.
Lastly, we are closely following implementation of the May 21 USCIS policy that directs USCIS officers to treat a green card as a benefit that is only granted in extraordinary circumstances and that makes applicants travel to a U.S. consulate or embassy abroad to do so. While the media has reported that unnamed DHS officials walked back some aspects of the new policy, no official clarification or guidance has been released. We will update NAFSA’s resource page as we learn more.
WHAT YOU CAN DO:
Contact Congress to urge 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.
Thank you for reading.
Best,
Erica
Erica Stewart
Senior Director, Advocacy & Strategic Communications
NAFSA: Association of International Educators
