With the urgent need for the U.S. Department of State to resume visa interviews for international students and scholars, the voices of international education leaders are vital right now in advocating directly with Congress and in influencing institutional leadership to get involved. Here are some helpful resources to get started.

  1. Gather stories. Engage with your institution’s faculty, staff, department deans, athletic director, career office, etc. to demonstrate how the halt to visa appointments—and a resulting decline in international talent--will harm your institution’s international programs, partnerships, academic and athletic recruiting, course offerings, along with the education/preparedness of domestic students.
  2. Collect data.
    • Work with your key stakeholders to use existing data to quantify the impacts as much as possible if fewer international students arrive on campus this fall.
    • Use NAFSA’s International Student Economic Value Tool to glean the economic benefits and job creation associated with the international students in your state and congressional district.
    • Consult your international student admissions and student services offices to glean how international student interest and enrollment is changing in the current environment.
  3. Compile soundbites and statistics.  
    • Download NAFSA’s Sharpening Our Edge Through International Education infographic for a collection of facts and figures that make the case that global talent is essential to U.S. national security, workforce development, and global competitiveness.
    • Customize our suggested talking points (draft below) to develop an argument that you can use to educate and persuade key stakeholders to take action.
  4. Engage other allies that benefit from international students and scholars in your community, including local businesses, schools, employers, and community centers. Encourage their outreach to elected officials as well.
  5. Make the case for international students and scholars with your Federal Relations Office. They can be your ally in encouraging your institution’s leadership to engage Congress and the State Department with the message that visa interviews must immediately resume. They may also have connections to state and local elected officials who can be influential with federal officials.
  6. Request an in-district meeting with your institution’s members of Congress, after conferring with your Federal Relations Office.
  7. Send a message to your members of Congress as an individual and encourage your networks to do the same!

Suggested Talking Points

For your convenience, provided below is language you can easily edit to shape your communication with campus officials and/or your members of Congress. It closely resembles the sample message to Congress provided in NAFSA’s advocacy campaign at nafsa.org/Standing-for-Students-and-Scholars.  Be sure to customize these suggested talking points with the data, stories, and statistics specific to your institution to make it of maximum relevance, including:

  • Evidence of declining interest/enrollment of international students and scholars on your campus(es)
  • The international student economic value data for your state/congressional district 

On May 27, the U.S. Department of State announced a halt in scheduling new F, J, and M visa interview appointments. With every day that passes, it becomes increasingly difficult for international students and scholars to arrive on U.S. campuses before the start of the fall semester. This threatens the economic vitality of our local community as well as the long-term national security interests of our nation.

There are already warning signs that international student interest in the United States has fallen to its lowest levels since the pandemic. New research by Studyportals shows a 20 percent drop in interest in U.S. degrees among international students compared to this time last year, while IDP Education found a 43 percent decline in interest in a U.S. postgraduate education since January.

Undermining the ability of international students and scholars—already the most thoroughly vetted and closely monitored nonimmigrants in the country—to study in the United States is misguided and self-defeating on the grounds that:

🔹 They fuel our economy. An analysis by NAFSA: Association of International Educators found that international students contribute nearly $44 billion annually and support more than 378,000 American jobs. Their spending on housing, food, and services helps sustain businesses in every state. For every three international students, one U.S. job is created or supported in sectors that benefit Americans.

🔹 Their presence benefits U.S. students. Even though international students make up only 6 percent of the total higher education population, their enrollment creates opportunities for American students. Most international students pay out-of-state tuition, injecting vital revenue into our colleges and universities and helping keep costs down for domestic students. They also often serve as instructors in key fields, including foreign languages and STEM. Research by the National Foundation for American Policy (NFAP) found that enrolling more international undergraduate students led to an increase in the number of STEM bachelor's degrees awarded to U.S. students.

🔹They contribute valuable skills to the U.S. workforce. The United States has a labor shortage, which is expected to increase by 6 million by 2032, and a skills gap in key sectors. Not enough American students graduate with the STEM skills needed to meet the demands of the 21st century knowledge economy. More than half of international students pursue STEM fields of study in the U.S. and 70 percent of full-time graduate students in AI-related fields are international students.

🔹 Losing global talent weakens us. When a talented Turkish student could not secure a visa to stay in this country, he took his expertise to China—where he helped Huawei dominate 5G technology. This allowed Huawei to outpace its competitors tenfold in terms of securing patents. America cannot afford to drive away the world’s top minds.

🔹International students make America safer and more prosperous. They return home as business partners, entrepreneurs, and allies who can strengthen economic and diplomatic ties that benefit America for generations. The loss of these students harms the United States’ ability to build relationships with future leaders in other countries and fortify our national security. The Institute for Higher Education Policy found that 70 world leaders across 58 UN-member countries received their higher education in the United States. International education is smart diplomacy—an investment in our future.