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.
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.
October 4, 2021
Resource Kit: Hosting Afghan Students and Scholars
This resource kit includes a checklist of steps to ensure that necessary structures and support networks are in place to welcome Afghan students and scholars, along with key questions to help institutions assess their options and readiness to host.
September 23, 2021
Letter to Congress About Support for Afghan Students and Scholars
Letter from ACE and other higher education associations to leaders in the House and Senate requesting specific policies and funding to support Afghan students and scholars displaced by the current crisis in their country.
August 4, 2021
Letter to Congress Urging Support for Legislation to Protect DACA Recipients and Other Dreamers
ACE and other associations urge Congress to permanently protect DACA recipients and Dreamers following the Texas court decision that found the Obama administration acted illegally in establishing DACA through executive action.
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.
Statement by ACE President Ted Mitchell on Final DACA Regulations
We applaud this action by the Biden administration to preserve and fortify the existing Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.
June 13, 2022
DACA Is Now 10 Years Old. What Does the Future Hold?
June 15 marks 10 years since President Barack Obama announced an executive memorandum creating DACA, an initiative that has provided some protection and work authorization for over 800,000 undocumented immigrants brought to the United States as children.
March 25, 2022
Congress Springs Forward and Passes Spending Bill; New Regulations Coming
ACE Senior Vice President Terry Hartle joins host Sarah Spreitzer to discuss Congress’s last-minute push to pass the FY 2022 omnibus spending package and what it means for higher education ED's final negotiated rulemaking session.
March 7, 2022
Biden Administration Extends Temporary Protected Status to Ukrainians in the U.S.
The Biden administration has announced that it will allow Ukrainians who are in the United States as of March 1 to remain in the country for 18 months under a designation known as Temporary Protected Status.
January 24, 2022
DHS, State Announce Regulatory Changes to Attract More International Students and Scholars
The White House has announced a number of positive changes to programs for international students and scholars in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM).
January 4, 2022
Biden Administration Revises Regulations to Ease Entry for International Students
In good news for international students, the Department of State announced before the holiday break that consular offices would have more flexibility in determining non-immigrant intent for F-1 and M-1 student visa applicants
December 17, 2021
Federal Government Extends I-9 Compliance Flexibility
The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency has granted an extension to April 30, 2022, of the COVID-19 related flexibilities related to Form I-9 compliance.
December 16, 2021
2021 in Higher Education Policy (A Good Year, Not a Great One)
ACE Senior Vice President Terry Hartle reviews the higher education policy successes and failures of 2021, and what we can expect from Congress and the administration in 2022.
November 29, 2021
ACE, 45 Other Groups Praise Biden Administration’s Effort to “Protect and Fortify” DACA
ACE and 45 other higher education associations have submitted sent comments to the Department of Homeland Security on the draft rules released in September to strengthen the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.
November 19, 2021
End of Year Countdown: What’s on the Congressional Agenda for Students and Colleges
In this live conversation, hosts Jon Fansmith and Sarah Spreitzer discuss the status of the Build Back Better Act and more as Congress pushes toward the end of the year with a lengthy to-do list.
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States Step in as Federal Action on Dreamers Goes Nowhere
Learn about actions states are taking to help Dreamers on ACE’s December 8, 2022 dotEDU podcast.
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