As US tightens student visas, countries in Asia, the UK see enrollment surge

In China, wait times for US visa interviews are so long that some students have given up. Universities in Hong Kong are fielding transfer inquiries from foreign students in the US, and international applications for British undergraduate programs have surged.

President Donald Trump’s administration has been pressuring US colleges to reduce their dependence on international enrolment while adding new layers of scrutiny for foreign students as part of its crackdown on immigration.

The US government has sought to deport foreign students for participating in pro-Palestinian activism. In the spring, it abruptly revoked the legal status of thousands of international students, including some whose only brush with law enforcement was a traffic ticket. After reversing course, the government paused new appointments for student visas while rolling out a process for screening applicants’ social media accounts.

The US remains the first choice for many international students, but institutions elsewhere are recognising opportunity in the upheaval, and applicants are considering destinations they might have otherwise overlooked. The impact on US universities — and the nation’s economy — may be significant.

New international enrolment in the US could drop by 30 per cent to 40 per cent this fall, according to an analysis of visa and enrolment data by NAFSA, an agency that promotes international education.

That would deprive the US economy of USD 7 billion in spending, according to the analysis. Many international students



pay full price, so their absence would also hurt college budgets.

Britain stands to gain as the US takes a ‘massive hit’ As the second most popular destination for international students, Britain is positioned to benefit.

The country’s new Labour government has vowed to cut migration, and officials have imposed time limits on post-study visas allowing graduates to stay and work. But admissions consultants say the United Kingdom is still seen as the most welcoming of the traditional “big four” English-speaking destinations in higher education — the US, UK, Canada and Australia.

After declining last year, the number of international applications for undergraduate study in the UK this fall grew by 2.2 per cent, official figures show. A record number of applications came from China, up 10 per cent compared with the previous year. Applications from the US also reached nearly 8,000 students — an increase of 14 per cent and a 20-year high.

Acceptances of international students for graduate programs in the UK grew an estimated 10 per cent from last year, driven by demand for business and management courses in particular, according to data from UniQuest, which works with many British universities on admissions.

Data showing the extent of any impact will not be available until fall, said Mike Henniger, CEO of Illume Student Advisory Services, a consultancy that works with colleges in the US, Canada and Europe. “But the American brand has taken a massive hit, and the UK is the one that is benefiting,” he said.