Foreigners have lost so much interest in applying to universities and colleges in America that the level of demand was almost as low as at the peak of the pandemic a few years ago. Even the number of simple visits to the websites of American universities has fallen by 50%! The last time such a low level of interest was observed in August 2020.
Now international applicants pay more attention to higher education institutions in the United Kingdom, Spain, Ireland, Australia, Germany, New Zealand and Switzerland: for example, the popularity of pages with Irish universities has increased by 63%, and future students have begun to read about Swedish, Spanish and Swiss universities 25-30% more often. This shift in interests is as logical as possible: foreigners want to feel comfortable and safe in another country, where they will have to spend 3 to 5 years or more during their studies. Today, the United States of America and its new migration policy are far from friendly, which European states take advantage of, creating additional conditions for increased comfort for students from other countries.
What is happening in the United States with international students now:
- Hundreds of student visas and SEVIS entries have been revoked. The government's primary goal was to vet pro-Palestinian protesters who held rallies on campuses, but along with them "hooked" many other students who were caught in even minor disturbances.
- Most of the canceled visas fell on citizens of India and China.
- Harvard lost its accreditation and the ability to accept new international students; The university is now appealing this decision in court, the presidential order is temporarily frozen.
- Interviews of non-residents of America at consulates were also on pause - new interviews for future students will be scheduled only after updating the rules for checking applicants. The presidential administration wants the migration services to look at the pages of applicants on social networks.
- The presidential administration has announced stricter methods of vetting applicants from China: employees plan to "aggressively revoke" students' visas if they find their connection to the Communist Party. Another reason for the immediate revocation of permission to enter the United States is to study in a critical specialty.
