Public Policy Blog

As Enrollment Continues to Decline, Members of Congress Speak Out for International Students

May 2, 2019

This is the time of year when all students, including international students, must commit to their college or university of choice for the fall. For international students, they are deciding whether to come to a school in the United States or study in a country with more welcoming policies and

Take Action for Dreamers

June 4, 2019

Update: June 5, 2019 By a vote of 237 to 187, seven Republicans joined 230 Democrats yesterday in passing the Dream and Promise Act (H.R. 6) in the U.S. House of Representatives. (Find out how your Representative voted.) The House Judiciary Committee voted recently in favor of provisions of the

Briefing Congress: Student Visas and the Hardest Entrance Exam

March 27, 2019

NAFSA's Counsel and Director of Immigration Policy, Heather Stewart, went to Capitol Hill on March 13, 2019 to join a panel of colleagues in briefing Congress on the issues driving international students to choose to study in more competitive countries. Additionally, the panel gave evidence of the

Taking Advocacy to Our Home Court

June 5, 2019

What is advocacy? Advocacy is action by one or many individuals to support and engage others for a common cause. Our action in advocacy began with NAFSA's Advocacy Day in 2015 where NAFSA Region III provided the opportunity for us to go to Capitol Hill to educate our members of Congress on

Reflecting on the 2018 Successes of NAFSA’s Campaign to Defend International Students and Scholars

December 17, 2018

Reflecting on the 2018 Successes of NAFSA’s Campaign to Defend International Students and Scholars As we approach the end of 2018 and focus on planning for both a new year and a new Congress, I would like to take a moment to reflect on the progress NAFSA has made to defend international students and

Right To Vote: A Privilege That I Don’t Take For Granted

November 5, 2018

Right To Vote: A Privilege That I Don’t Take For Granted I appreciated my Chinese heritage. I was born and raised in Hong Kong, a Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China, also known as one of the four Asian Tigers, or Little Dragons. Hong Kong is the world's 7th largest

International Education is Not a Partisan Issue - and Congress Agrees

June 7, 2018

NAFSA’s Deputy Executive Director for Public Policy Jill Welch testified before the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Border Security and Immigration yesterday. The hearing, “Student Visa Integrity: Protecting Educational Opportunity and National Security,” was chaired by Senator John Cornyn (R-TX)

As Enrollment Declines, Members of Congress Speak Out for International Students

May 9, 2018

‘Tis the season for fall enrollment deadlines for U.S. colleges and universities. This is the time of year when many accepted students must choose which U.S. college or university to commit to for the fall. For international students, they are deciding whether to come to a school in the United

Lives in the Balance: Dreamers Deserve a Fair Deal, Not Unsteady Pillars

February 15, 2018

Lives in the Balance: Dreamers Deserve a Fair Deal, Not Unsteady Pillars There’s been a lot of talk about the White House’s four pillars of immigration reform, a description that suggests a balanced and even-handed approach to tackling the many problems facing our immigration system. Unfortunately

Budgeting Time for Immigration

January 29, 2018

When President Trump terminated DACA in September, he set in motion a series of events that has led to crisis and hardship for individual DACA recipients.