Research by NAFSA and JB International projects a 30–40% drop in new enrolments this fall, resulting in over 60,000 job losses.
The United States could lose $7 billion this year if delays in visa appointments and travel restrictions continue to reduce international student enrolments, a new analysis has warned.
Research by NAFSA and JB International projects a 30–40% drop in new enrolments this fall, resulting in over 60,000 job losses. “Without significant recovery in visa issuance in July and August, up to 150,000 fewer students may arrive this fall,” the groups said in a joint statement.
The decline follows a suspension of visa interviews between May 27 and June 18, when new vetting procedures were ordered to be implemented within five days. The disruption has hit students from India, China, Nigeria, and Japan particularly hard.
NAFSA CEO Fanta Aw called the situation “a policy failure that has human and economic consequences,” urging the State Department to prioritise visa processing.
Last year, international students contributed $46bn to the US economy, supporting nearly 400,000 jobs. Aw cautioned, “This is not a one-year problem. The ripple effect could conceivably go on for years.”