How US immigration policies are shrinking global enrolment
The United States once held a monopoly on international students' dreams for higher study. That era is ending now!
Due to the US' restrictive immigration policies, global student flows fell significantly in 2025. This year, more than 6,000 student visas have been revoked. To date, the US has announced Presidential Proclamations (suspension of visa issuance) containing over 39 countries whose foreign nationals who would pose a threat to the United States, continue to prevent terrorists and other national security and public safety threats.
New regulations propose ending duration-of-status admissions and requiring formal extension applications. These measures create unprecedented uncertainty for international students.
The consequences are measurable and immediate.
Recent research demonstrates how visa restrictiveness directly impacts enrolment decisions. When F-1 visa refusal rates increase, high-achieving international students decrease their SAT score submissions to US colleges. They decrease their enrolment. The effect is strongest among students with the highest academic credentials, precisely those America claims to want.
The pattern started before COVID-19. The number of new international students dropped by 6.6% and 0.9% in the first term of the Trump administration, between 2017 and the end of 2018. Students reported negative sentiments about visa policies and mental health issues caused by hostile rhetoric. The pandemic accelerated these trends. And now, in 2025, it is happening all over again – only this time with far greater force.
US institutions confront immigration policy disruptions to recruitment and retention. Faculty report constraints on international scholar employment. Research collaborations face complications. Scientists, both US and foreign-born, express intentions to leave. Immigration policy has become a competitive disadvantage.
Students are voting with their applications. They are choosing alternative destinations.
Recent data demonstrate that, in 2024 alone, a total of 285,000 students took alternatives to the traditional ‘Big Four’ destinations. At least 165,000 will prefer to study rather than the US, UK, Canada & Australia by 2025. The Big Four are losing approximately 100,000 students per year.
European Union (EU), Germany, France and Turkey have become quite desirable options. South East Asia and East Asia, specifically Malaysia, Singapore, Japan & South Korea, have gained their market in terms of international student acquisition. These destinations offer quality education without visa volatility. They provide clearer pathways to post-graduation opportunities. Students and families react quickly because the stakes are high, both financially and professionally.
The change is structural, not temporary.
The number of international student mobility continues to grow, averaging 5% per year despite global disruptions. Demand remains strong. The difference lies in where students decide to study. Prospective students are strategic. They are looking for places that have a complete package: good education, low cost of living, high career prospects and open immigration policies.
The economic implications are substantial.
In 2024, international students contributed more than $43.8 billion to the US economy. They created 378,000 jobs in the academic year ending in 2022-23. These students are the bridge that is filling fundamental workforce needs in health care, technology & research. There are 143 billion-dollar startups in the US whose founders first arrived as international students.
Restrictive policies don't just reduce enrolment numbers. They reduce innovation capacity. They weaken research competitiveness. They diminish America's long-term economic prospects.
The solution requires immediate policy correction.
First, restore stability to visa processing. Students need predictable timelines and clear criteria. End mass revocations. Eliminate travel bans targeting students. Maintain duration-of-status admissions that have served the system well for decades.
Second, understand that immigration policy helps to determine competing positionings. Nations with applicant-friendly visa systems and good post-graduate work options are winning the battle for talent. America must either compete or concede.
Third, protect institutional autonomy. Universities should be able to recruit and retain international students without federal interference. Recent actions targeting institutions like Harvard have created chilling effects across the sector. This damages America's global reputation.
Fourth, invest in support services. International students are facing policy volatility and need mental health resources. They need legal assistance. They need clear communication about their rights and status.
Higher education leaders must advocate forcefully for policy reform. Document the harm. Quantify the losses. Make the economic case clear to policymakers.
State governments should step forward where federal policy fails. Provide additional support for international students. Create welcoming policies at the state level. Build pathways for talented graduates to stay and contribute to the community.
Institutional leaders should prepare contingency plans. Diversify recruitment strategies. Strengthen partnerships with alternative feeder countries. Develop hybrid models that maintain student connections even during policy disruptions.
Prospective students and their families deserve to know if the investment they make in a US education will be respected or senselessly destroyed by changes to US immigration policy.
America’s scientific and scholarly preeminence relies on drawing in international talent, an important dimension of the U.S.A.’s soft power. Its economic competitiveness requires it. Its universities thrive on intellectual diversity. Restrictive immigration policies undermine all three.
The data is clear. The trends are established. The choice is obvious.
Either America reforms its approach to international students, or it watches them succeed elsewhere. The window for action is closing. Other countries are ready to welcome the talent America turns away.
The question is no longer whether students will pursue international education. They will.
The question is whether they will choose America?
Shahreer Zahan is the Founder & CEO of Adroit Education, where he leads initiatives focused on student mentorship, academic development and global admissions strategy.
