Trump's visa havoc strands students weeks before classes start

Japan Times

06-08-2025

International students are struggling to secure visas as the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump aggressively moves to curtail immigration, threatening college budgets across the United States.
Arizona State University's president said 1,000 incoming international students still need visas, a hit to the school's budget he estimates would be in the "tens of millions of dollars.' Furman University in South Carolina is already expecting lower enrollment in the fall due to the situation abroad. Other schools are providing contingency plans, like allowing their international pupils to start their first semester in London.
Trump's attacks on higher education and immigration are colliding, prompting warnings from both private and public colleges that the policies will chill enrollment. Adding to an already tough fiscal backdrop, a dip in international students threatens to further erode schools' bottom line, as most foreign students pay full tuition. Even after the U.S. lifted its nearly monthlong pause in visa interviews in mid-June, international students are seeing fewer appointments, delays and additional vetting. With the start of the academic year just weeks away, they're running out of time.
At Cornell University, Wendy Wolford, vice provost for international affairs, said she's "concerned about students facing difficulty securing their visas in a timely fashion.' About a quarter of Cornell's student body is international.
First-time foreign student enrollment on U.S. campuses is projected to fall by about 30% this fall, according to preliminary forecasts by the trade group NAFSA: Association of International Educators and JB International. That translates to an approximately $2.6 billion decline in tuition revenue across campuses, according to Shorelight, an international education organization, which also estimates enrollment declines in that range.
At one of the most selective private universities in the country, officials have noticed a significant slowdown in visa issuances in India. Since the end of June, seven times as many students from China have received visas as those from India, according to an official at the school, who asked not to be named given the political sensitivities for colleges right now.
'Significant drop'
One family in New Delhi had been preparing their daughter to study in the U.S. for years before she committed to attend Indiana University Bloomington. She got a visa appointment before the Trump administration's pause, but at the interview, she was handed a 214(b) rejection letter. That meant the officer wasn't convinced the applicant had sufficient ties to return to India, even though her parents lived there.
When they tried to book another appointment, none were available. Their new plan, unless a U.S. visa comes through, is for their daughter to attend the University of Edinburgh.
The mother, who asked not to be identified as they're still hoping to apply for a U.S. visa, described the experience as a nightmare.
Visa interview scheduling is "dynamic,' a State Department spokesperson said, adding that applicants can request expedited appointments that are considered on a case-by-case basis.
Students walk on the campus of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts |
REUTERS
The visa delays have been more disruptive than the pandemic, said Arizona State University President Michael Crow. The school estimates about 1,000 international students set to attend haven't received their visas, representing about a third of incoming international scholars.
An admissions official at a small private college, who asked not to be named because of the political environment, said that by Aug. 1, there are usually only one or two students who have not been able to secure their visas. But this year, around eight to 10 students are still waiting for visas. For a college with less than 100 international students per year, those numbers are significant, that official said. More scholars have also chosen to withdraw from the college, opting for schools in the U.K. or Asia, the official said.
Furman University expects a decline in new student enrollment in fall 2025 with a "notable' factor being a "significant drop in international student enrollment, stemming from ongoing changes and delays in the U.S. student visa process,' the school said in bond documents last month. As of the end of July, Furman is expecting 562 first-time freshmen, compared to 613 last fall, according to a spokesperson.
The Trump administration announced a pause in interviews for student visas in late May, not long after most colleges' commitment deadlines. On June 18, the State Department said it would resume interviews, while also ordering reviews of applicants' social-media profiles.
"The process of unpausing wasn't just turning on a faucet again,' said Tom Dretler, the chief executive officer of Shorelight. "It was country by country, city by city, consulate by consulate, and in some areas it's barely been more than a drip.'
Top market abroad
Last month, members of Congress sent a letter to the State Department asking how it will address a visa backlog that threatens to block the enrollment of Indian students at U.S. colleges and universities this fall. India is a top market for international students in the United States.
On June 30, the U.S. embassy in India posted on their website that "additional or new appointments for student or exchange visitor visa applications will be extremely limited until further notice.'
In Gurgaon, near New Delhi, Adarsh Khandelwal, co-founder of college counseling firm Collegify, said that this year he has seen virtually no visa appointments open up for his clients. That's caused at least 60% of his students who were set to start in the fall to turn to their plan B, which includes either staying in India or attending college in other countries. He said he had students with acceptances at colleges such as Boston University, Northeastern and Emory, who have not been able to secure visas.
"This has never happened when it comes to the U.S.,' he said. "We always let the U.S. be the first choice and the last choice.'
Some schools are making backup plans. The University of Arizona is piloting a London site for those who are unable to enter or stay in the country. A spokesperson for Northeastern in Boston said it will provide ample opportunities for remote learning or for attendees to enroll in its London or Canadian campuses if needed. And the University of Toronto's Munk School may host Harvard Kennedy School graduate students if they can't remain in or reenter the United States.
Daniel Santos, co-founder of college admissions company Prepory, said the impact may continue in fall 2026 as high schoolers abroad look to study elsewhere. "They lost faith in the U.S. higher ed system and don't feel necessarily welcomed,' he said.