A lot of international students who would be coming to universities in the U.S. right about now, are instead going elsewhere.
The reason is that a lot of them are having trouble obtaining visas. There have been long delays to get visa interviews over the summer. And that means students can’t get their visas in time to start the school year.
A lot of universities start in late August or early September. This means a lot of students – many in highly technical STEM fields – are going to other countries. And universities in the U.S. are losing out.
This matters because international students contribute $50 billion every year to the U.S. economy, plus they’re a huge source of highly skilled talent that end up working in technical fields and starting major companies.
The U.S. is still the top destination for foreign students. But other countries, such as The UK and Canada are catching up. The Trump administration’s actions on visas and immigration enforcement crackdowns are sending more college students elsewhere.
I have interviews with people on the frontlines of this for a story on Marketplace.
InterArts Fresno 