Immigration and International Students
Section 1 Content
The American
Council on Education (ACE) advocates for comprehensive immigration reform that
supports undocumented students who were brought to the United States as young
children and talented international students who would like to remain in the
United States following the completion of their studies—particularly those earning
science, technology, engineering, or mathematics degrees. ACE has supported the
Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act since it was
first introduced in 2001. The bill would provide qualified young immigrants
with a pathway to citizenship if they accomplish academic goals or serve in the
U.S. military. ACE and its member institutions also are strong proponents of
safe, secure, and sustainable internationalization. ACE advocates for policies
that uplift open and collaborative international exchange.
April 24, 2025
President Trump’s Executive Orders Impacting Higher Education
President Trump began his term with a flurry of executive orders, and they have continued in the months since. This document tracks those with the most significant impact on higher education.
April 4, 2025
Letter on Visa Revocations and International Student Deportations Under the Trump Administration
ACE and other higher education associations sent a letter requesting a briefing from Secretaries Marco Rubio and Kristi Noem regarding the policies and processes being applied to recent visa revocations and deportations of international students.
January 16, 2025
Issue Brief: Immigration Related Campus Concerns
This issue brief provides guidance for campus leaders on navigating potential immigration policy changes under the new Trump administration, drawing on lessons from the first Trump term.
September 11, 2024
ACE Policy Recommendations to 2024 Presidential Candidates
Ahead of the November election, ACE wrote to the presidential candidates’ campaigns with recommendations for key policies to strengthen higher education.
July 5, 2024
Letter to the State Department on Addressing Visa Processing Delays
Along with 19 other organizations, ACE sent this letter to the State Department urging action to address delays with processing F-1 and J-1 visa applications at U.S. consulates in India and other countries where there could be surges in applications.
March 25, 2024
Comments on Proposed Rule for Title VI Program Changes
Comments to the Department of Education form ACE and 16 other higher education groups on the proposed rule regarding the National Resource Centers and Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellowships programs.
February 20, 2024
Comments on the Department of Labor's Plan to Expand Foreign Worker Certification to STEM Jobs
On behalf of 18 other higher education organizations, ACE sent comments to DOL in support of expanding the labor certification for permanent employment of foreign workers to include STEM occupations.
December 22, 2023
Comments on Proposed Rule to Modernize the H-IB and Other Visa Processes
Comments from ACE and a number of other higher education associations in reponse to the Department of Homeland Security's proposed rule, “Modernizing H-1B Requirements, Providing Flexibility in the F-1 Program, and Program Improvements Affecting Other ...
December 8, 2023
Letter to the State Department on Visa Interview Waivers
ACE, on behalf of 25 other higher ed associations, encouraged the Department of State to permanently waive the in-person interview requirement for some non-immigrant visa applicants. This requirement had temporarily been waived due to the pandemic.
April 13, 2023
Joint Statement Supporting Safe, Secure, and Sustainable Internationalization
Statement from ACE and its counterparts from Australia, Canada, Germany, the UK, and New Zealand outlining the organizations' plans to cooperatively promote safe and secure internationalization.
March 13, 2023
Comments to USCIS on Proposed Fee Increases
Comments from ACE, on behalf of 20 other organizations, to USCIS opposing proposed increases to benefit request fees that would adversely affect international students and skilled workers at colleges and universities.
November 17, 2022
Letter Urging 117th Congress to Protect Dreamers Before Adjourning
Letter from ACE and other higher education associations to congressional leaders, encouraging them to pass legislation to protect Dreamers and the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program in the lame-duck session that ends next month.
November 10, 2022
Letter in Support of the Senator Paul Simon Study Abroad Program Act
ACE, on behalf of 14 other higher education associations, sent this letter to Senators Dick Durbin and Roger Wicker in support of their newly reintroduced bill to strengthen programs that expand study abroad opportunities to a broader range of students.
June 13, 2022
Letter to Senate Judiciary Subcommittee for Hearing on Immigration and Higher Education
Testimony for the record to the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, and Border Safety for the June 14 hearing on “Strengthening our Workforce and Economy through Higher Education and Immigration.”
April 8, 2022
Students of Higher Education Today
Today’s college students are increasingly more diverse. Understanding the population of higher education, including age, race or ethnicity, and institution type attended, is important for improving postsecondary access and helping students succeed.
February 28, 2022
Comments to the State Department on Proposed Visa Fee Increases
Comments in response the State Department notice of proposed rulemaking regarding proposed adjustments to the fees for processing several nonimmigrant visa applications, including F-1
student visas and J-1 exchange visitors.
February 28, 2022
Letter to State and DHS Requesting Support for Ukrainian Students and Scholars
Letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken and DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas requesting flexibility and support for Ukrainian students and scholars currently in the United States, and for students and scholars seeking to leave Ukraine during the cu...
November 29, 2021
Comments on Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Draft Rule
From ACE and 45 other higher education associations to the Department of Homeland Security in response to the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals published in September 2021.
November 1, 2021
Request for Visa Flexibility for Afghan Students and Scholars
Letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken asking for flexibility in the F-1 and J-1 visa process for students and scholars who have been displaced by the current crisis in Afghanistan.
October 22, 2021
Comments on Proposed Rulemaking for Public Charge
Comments to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services in response to Department of Homeland Security's Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on developing a new proposal for the public charge rule.
October 14, 2021
Flexibility Needed for International Students and Scholars Under New Travel Policy
Letter to the White House coordinator of the COVID-19 response and the CDC urging flexibility on vaccines for international students and scholars under the Biden administration's new travel policy that goes into effect in November 2021.
May 2, 2025
dotEDU Live: The Trump Administration’s Pressure Campaign Continues
Jon Fansmith, Sarah Spreitzer, and Mushtaq Gunja dive into recent executive orders on accreditation, foreign influence, and more.
April 16, 2025
dotEDU Live: Harvard Pushes Back, Visa Chaos, and the Fight for Research Funding
This episode of dotEDU Live dives into the Trump administration’s sweeping demands on Harvard, the spike in international student visa revocations, and escalating legal battles over federal research funding.
April 7, 2025
ACE, Higher Ed Associations Demand Answers as Student Visa Revocations Spread Nationwide
ACE and 15 other higher ed associations requested an urgent briefing from the departments of State and Homeland Security, following reports of international students being stripped of their visas and ordered to leave the country with little or no warning.
April 3, 2025
dotEDU Live: Latest on Dismantling of the ED, International Students, and Budget Issues
In this episode of dotEDU Live, Jon, Sarah, and Mushtaq unpack the sweeping policy shifts affecting higher education, including the executive order to dismantle the Department of Education.
March 18, 2025
Higher Education & The Trump Administration
Executive orders, agency memos and directives, news stories and other resources on the Trump administration's first weeks in office.
February 3, 2025
OMB Funding Pause, More EOs Mark Hectic Week for Higher Ed
Following a chaotic first week of the new Trump administration that included more than two dozen executive orders—many affecting higher education—week two followed a similar pattern.
January 27, 2025
Trump’s Executive Orders Shift Higher Education Landscape
With more than two dozen executive orders issued in the past week, the Trump administration has moved swiftly to reverse Biden-era policies and advance its own priorities—many of which carry significant implications for colleges and universities.
January 24, 2025
dotEDU Live: Navigating Trump’s First Week
Jon Fansmith, Mushtaq Gunja, and Sarah Spreitzer break down the early days of the Trump administration’s second term and its impact on higher education.
January 17, 2025
ACE Releases Issue Brief on Campus Challenges Under Trump’s Immigration Policies
ACE has prepared a new issue brief offering information and insights to help campuses navigate what may be a rapidly shifting landscape.
December 12, 2024
dotEDU Live: Higher Education’s Path Forward in Trump’s Second Term
In this episode of dotEDU Live, Jon Fansmith and Sarah Spreitzer are joined by a full team of ACE experts—Steven Bloom, Peter McDonough, and Emmanual Guillory—to take a look at what the post-election landscape looks like for higher education policy.
November 7, 2024
dotEDU Live: What Trump’s Win and a New Congress Mean for Higher Education
In this special post-election episode recorded on November 6, ACE President Ted Mitchell joined hosts Jon Fansmith, Sarah Spreitzer, and Mushtaq Gunja to discuss the 2024 election results and their implications for higher education.
September 16, 2024
ACE Calls for Policy Focus on Higher Education in Presidential Campaigns
In an open letter addressed to both presidential candidates, ACE has outlined a comprehensive set of policy recommendations aimed at leveraging U.S. colleges and universities to address the nation’s most pressing challenges.
July 8, 2024
Higher Education Groups Urge State Department to Address Visa Processing Delays for Indian Students
ACE and a group of other higher education associations have called on the U.S. Department of State to address significant delays in processing F-1 and J-1 visa applications at U.S. consulates in India.
January 8, 2024
ACE, Higher Ed Groups Submit Comments on Proposed H-1B Rule Changes
ACE and a coalition of higher ed associations have submitted comments to DHS in response to the proposed rule “Modernizing H-1B Requirements, Providing Flexibility in the F-1 Program, and Program Improvements Affecting Other Nonimmigrant Workers.”
February 17, 2023
dotEDU Live: New Rules from ED, Culture War Rhetoric Ramps Up, the End of the COVID Emergency, More
In this live episode, hosts Jon Fansmith and Sarah Spreitzer take audience questions on a range of topics, from the Education Department moving quickly on new regulations to the House hearing on the “crisis” in American education to ChatGPT.
December 21, 2022
Statement by ACE President Ted Mitchell on Afghan Government Banning Women from Higher Education
We condemn in the strongest possible terms the decision by the government of Afghanistan to ban women from studying at all public and private universities.
December 8, 2022
States Step in as Federal Action on Dreamers Goes Nowhere
Political activist Tyler Montague and ACE’s Derrick Anderson visit the podcast to talk about Arizona’s newly passed Proposition 308, which gives in-state tuition for non-citizen residents of the state.
November 18, 2022
ACE, Higher Ed Groups: Pass Legislation Now to Protect Dreamers
ACE and over 60 other higher education associations sent a letter Nov. 17 to House and Senate leaders urging them to make protecting Dreamers and the DACA program a priority, given recent court decisions declaring DACA illegal.
October 17, 2022
Appeals Court Says DACA Is Illegal but Keeps Program Alive
The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled yesterday that the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program was not lawful but preserved the district court’s stay, which permits current enrollees to continue renewing their status.
October 6, 2022
Statement by ACE President Ted Mitchell on Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals DACA Ruling
We are dismayed that this ruling by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals continues to force hundreds of thousands of outstanding young Dreamers to live in fear and uncertainty.
August 30, 2022
Final DACA Regulations Released by Biden Administration
The Biden administration last week released the final version of regulations aiming to strengthen the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.
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Higher Education & The Trump Administration Transition
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