International students are vital to the STEM talent pipeline and the U.S. economy. America’s leading research universities are magnets for global talent in STEM fields, which drive economic growth through research and development (R&D). This results in new companies and industries and creates millions of high-wage jobs.
Some key facts:
- International students added $43 billion to the American economy - just last year.
- Immigrants founded more than half of unicorn startups. This means privately held companies valued at $1 billion or more, like SpaceX, CrowdStrike, Zoom, and Instacart.
- Defense-related industries rely heavily on STEM workers. Half of these workers are foreign-born.
Recently, the administration has proposed policies which put American science at risk. AAU urges Congress to help the United States win the race for global scientific talent. For that reason, AAU opposes policies that:
- End duration of status for student visa holders.
- Delay, deny, or revoke student visas without due process.
- Impose broad travel bans and processing pauses that limit students, researchers, educators, and skilled professionals.
- Restrict the Optional Practical Training program for student visa holders.
- Make harmful changes to the H-1B visa program.
Such policies would harm U.S. leadership in science and cause our nation to lose the global race for scientific talent. Instead of attracting scientists, it could, and is, causing brain drain: when scientists eave America. We stand ready to work with Congress to keep America dominant in science and technology.
The Association of American Universities (AAU) urges Congress to reject policies that make it harder for the United States to attract and retain the best and brightest students and scholars from around the world and other high-skilled foreign talent.
The Trump administration’s deep cuts to federal funding of scientific research, crackdown on universities, and proposals aimed at deterring international talent have unleashed a loss of scientific talent – a brain drain - away from the United States to other countries.
This page will be updated regularly to provide new information as it becomes available regarding the AAU-Chamber of Commerce legal action contesting the implementation of a $100,000 fee for H1-B visa petitions.
DHS and ICE have proposed a rule that would make it harder for international students to complete their degree programs in the United States, obtain practical work experience upon graduation, or move on to another degree level.
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AAU thanks our colleagues at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce who requested that the next COVID relief bill include provisions to provide certainty for international students in light of conflicting information from State and ICE.
Compete America, of which AAU is a member, sent a letter to leaders at the Department of Homeland Security and the Office of Management and Budget expressing concern about the July 6 ICE guidance.
AAU joined ACE and 69 other higher education associations to file an amicus brief in support of the suit filed by Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology against the recent guidance from ICE mandating that international students take in-person classes to remain in the United States in the fall.
AAU joined ACE and 79 other higher education organizations on a letter to acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf to strongly oppose the ICE guidance regarding international students and online courses, request the immediate withdrawal of the guidance, and request the department grant necessary flexibility for international students.
The linked document contains AAU's summary of the July 6, 2020 SEVP Guidance for International Students regarding the beginning of the Fall 2020 semester.
