Speaking at the 2026 NAFSA conference, sector leaders hailed an improved “sense of stability” compared to the previous year, highlighting small instances of Congress starting to push back on the current administration, particularly on study abroad.
“We’re starting to see our champions step forward both on the Democratic and the Republican side of the aisle,” said NAFSA senior director of public policy Rachel Banks.
“Every Bill that gets introduced doesn’t necessarily mean it will automatically pass, but it’s good that we’re seeing action,” she continued. “I think the sense of stability comes from the fact we know a lot more [now] than we did back then.”
Banks recalled the 2025 NAFSA conference, dominated by the administration’s visa interview pause announced during the open plenary. It followed several months visa revocations impacting thousands of students, teaching colleagues that “nothing is off the table”, said Banks.
And while considerable challenges remain – particularly regarding state department visa processing delays, the incoming final rule ending duration of status (D/S) and threats to Optional Practical Training (OPT) – speakers welcomed a “shift” in behaviour from Congress.
“Whereas last year we saw Congress saying yes to everything, we’ve seen a sea change in Congress starting to push back and assert a little bit more of its authority,” said Adrienne Jacobs, assistant director of the Alliance for International Exchange.
Most of these efforts have centred on study abroad, delegates heard, with Congressmen from both political parties increasingly speaking out in defence of international exchanges.
Carl Herrin, assistant to the president at Worchester State University, welcomed the fact last year’s proposed 93% funding cut for study abroad “ended up being a haircut not a decapitation”, as sector advocacy saw it reduced to 5.5%.
Meanwhile, Alliance president Mark Overmann said this year’s 68% planned cut was “quickly taken off the table” by Congress, proposing $641 million in funding, marking a less drastic reduction and a “really, really, good outcome in this climate”.
With this threat largely mitigated, Overmann said the sector faced further challenges from the Office for Management and budget (OMB) inserting itself “in very unprecedented ways” and preventing the money being released, though he welcomed successful developments in this space.
By the time you get down the list of priority [visa] categories, you find international students and exchange visitors low on that list
Rachel Banks, NAFSA
Elsewhere, a bipartisan group of policymakers reintroduced the Senator Paul Simon Act to improve access to study abroad, following the launch of a caucus to bolster support for international exchange in congress – garnering support from across the political aisle.
Outside of study abroad, speakers painted a more challenging picture for the US sector, urging conference delegates to reach out to state legislators and local governments about the value of international students as part of NAFSA’s international education action week.
Though the widely anticipated rule ending duration of status was not published during the conference, the incoming change dominated discussions, with experts warning of the “tremendous” impact on students, scholars and educators.
The incoming final rule on duration of status dominated conference discussions, with experts warning of the “tremendous” impact on students and scholars.
Though the legislation seems guaranteed in some form, it received recent pushback from Republican and Democratic policymakers urging OMB to preserve the current duration of status framework.
And while several policymakers have rallied around protecting OPT, Banks warned the administration’s recent branding of the program a “magnet for fraud” and revealing widespread alleged abuse – which Banks called a “tactic” of the administration to lay the groundwork for changes.
Furthermore, she highlighted visa processing issues impacting both F-1 and J-1 students and visitors, with the government being “very public” that tourists and businesses will be prioritised in the name of so-called “commercial diplomacy” ahead of this summer’s FIFA World Cup and the 2028 Olympics.
“By the time you get down the list of priority categories, you find international students and exchange visitors low on that list,” said Banks.
Elsewhere in the conference, delegates were reminded that processing backlogs come on top of Trump’s existing travel ban on 40 countries – putting up barriers for some students to enter the country regardless of much discussed demand side declines.
Speakers doubled down on the importance of different forms of advocacy in the face of multipronged threats – including one-to-one discussions with policymakers alongside higher profile campaigns organised by sector leaders over the past 16 months.
