In2018,theUnited-Stateswitnessedaseriesofchangesanddevelopmentsinitspoliciesregardinginternationalstudents,especiallythosefromothercountriescomingtostudyintheUS.Thesepolicieshavefar-reachingimplicationsforboththestudentsthemselvesandthebroadereducationalandsociallandscapes.
Oneofthemostsignificantaspectsofthe2018USinternationalstudentpolicieswasthetighteningofvisaregulations.TheUSgovernmentbegantoconductmorein-depthandrigorousbackgroundchecksoninternationalstudentvisaapplicants.Thisledtoanincreaseinthetimeittookforstudentstoobtainvisasand,insomecases,higherratesofvisarejections.Forexample,studentsincertainfieldsrelatedtoscience,technology,engineering,andmathematics(STEM)facedadditionalscrutiny.TheconcernwasthatsomestudentsmightposepotentialsecurityrisksorcouldusetheirUS-acquiredknowledgeandskillsinwaysthatmightnotalignwithUSinterests.
ThisnewpolicystancehadadirectimpactonthenumberofinternationalstudentschoosingtheUSastheirstudydestination.ManystudentsandtheirfamiliesbecamemorehesitanttoapplytoUSuniversities.SomestudentsevenoptedtoconsiderothercountrieslikeCanada,Australia,ortheUnitedKingdom,whichseemedtobemorewelcomingandhadmorestablevisapolicies.ThedecreaseinthenumberofinternationalstudentswasalsofeltbyUSeducationalinstitutions.Manyuniversitiesrelyonthetuitionfeesandculturaldiversitybroughtbyinternationalstudents.Withfewerinternationalstudentsenrolling,somedepartmentsfacedbudgetaryconstraintsandachangeinthecampusculturalenvironment.
Inadditiontovisa-relatedpolicies,therewerealsochangesinpost-graduationworkopportunities.TheOptionalPracticalTraining(OPT)program,whichallowedinternationalstudentstogainworkexperienceintheUSaftergraduation,cameunderthespotlight.TherewerediscussionsandsomeproposedchangestolimitthescopeanddurationofOPT,especiallyforstudentsinnon-STEMfields.ThismadeitmoredifficultforinternationalstudentstostayintheUSandapplytheirnewly-acquiredknowledgeinaprofessionalsetting.
Ontheotherhand,somepolicieswereaimedatpromotingamore"merit-based"approachtointernationalstudentadmissions.USeducationalinstitutionswereencouragedtofocusmoreontheacademicachievementsandpotentialofstudentsratherthanjusttheirfinancialcapabilitiesorothernon-academicfactors.Whilethiswasseenasapositivestepintermsofensuringhigh-qualitystudentsenteredUSuniversities,italsoaddedmorepressureoninternationalstudentswhonowhadtoprovethemselvesmorerigorouslyintermsoftestscores,researchexperience,andacademicachievements.
Overall,the2018USinternationalstudentpoliciescreatedacomplexandsomewhatuncertainenvironmentforinternationalstudents.ThesepoliciesnotonlyaffectedtheindividualdreamsandeducationalplansofstudentsbutalsohadimplicationsforinternationaleducationalexchangesandtheglobalcompetitivenessoftheUShigher-educationsystem.
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