Foreign student arrivals plummet to four-year low as Trump tightens visa rules

Foreign student arrivals to the U.S. fell to the lowest level recorded in four years amid the Trump administration’s visa crackdown, Bloomberg News reported Monday.

Just over 313,000 international students entered the U.S. in August, a 19% drop year-over-year, a Bloomberg News analysis of International Trade Administration data found. The drop marked five consecutive months of declines, leaving overall student arrivals down nearly 12% so far this year through August.

Arrivals from Asia, which account for most foreign students, fell by 24% in August as Indian student arrivals dropped 45% and those from China fell 12%, according to Bloomberg. Africa saw the largest percentage fall of any region, down 33%, while Western Europe remained largely flat, with a decrease of less than 1%, according to the outlet.

The downturn coincides with the Trump administration’s rollout of stricter immigration measures, including new restrictions targeting foreign students. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a new rule in late August, capping the length of time foreign students can remain in the country, closing a loophole that officials say has allowed some foreign nationals to become “forever students.”

The rule limits the length of stay for international students to the duration of the academic program, but not beyond four years. After that, students would have to reapply to remain in the country, allowing DHS to review their cases regularly.

The Trump administration ordered U.S. embassies and consulates in May to halt new interviews for student visas and expand social media screening for foreign applicants. The same month, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that the State Department would begin “aggressively” revoking visas from Chinese students with ties to the Chinese Communist Party.

President Donald Trump also signed a proclamation in June that sought to block Harvard University from admitting new international students under the visa program, though a federal judge ultimately blocked the measure.

The president said in August that he would allow 600,000 Chinese students to study in the U.S over the next two years, however, calling it a continuation of existing policy.

“We’re getting along very well with China. And I’m getting along very well with President Xi. I think it’s very insulting to say students can’t come here because they’ll go out, they’ll start building schools and they’ll be able to survive it,” Trump said about the decision. “I like that their students come here, I like that other countries’ students come here. And you know what would happen? If they didn’t, our college system would go to hell very quickly.”

More recently, Trump signed a proclamation on Friday that slaps a $100,000 fee on H-1B visa applications, a program that allows foreign nationals working in skilled or highly specialized jobs to work in the U.S.

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