People coming the right way
¡Even Visas (people coming the right way) are in Decline under Trump Administration!
by Jose Enrique Perez
We have been writing about the new policies of President Trump against immigrants. It is definitely, in my humble opinion, a witch hunt against immigrants already here. Now, the numbers for the outsiders (immigrants) are out. They are also being hunted by the administration: Their applications for visas are being denied.
Even though some government officials are saying that the drop is only less than 5%, the real numbers show that it is more than 40%.
2018 (not even 2019) statistics show that the United States is becoming a less welcoming destination for foreign students. According to data from the State Department, the number of student visas issued annually for education in the United States fell from 677,928 in Fiscal Year 2015 (During Obama’s administration) to 389,579 in Fiscal Year 2018 (During Trump administration)—a decline of 42.5%. What makes up the difference? On Trump’s own word: He is the “least racist person in the world.” Right?!
This loss of human potential comes at a high cost to the United States. The 1.1 million international students studying in U.S. colleges and universities during the 2017-2018 academic year added $39 billion to the U.S. economy through tuition, room and board—and created or supported more than 455,000 U.S. jobs in the process. These figures don’t even begin to quantify the economic contributions that students go on to make after they graduate and enter the professional world. These include the invention of new technologies and the creation of new businesses.
Even the process of obtaining work authorization under the Optional Practical Training program, which allows students to work in jobs related to their major for one to three years after graduation, has seen recent lengthy delays. This has kept some students from working at all.
Of course, many Universities have written to Trump and Congress to do something about it. We must wait and see what will happen. A solution to some of these problems may be Congressional Action. For instance, just last month H.R. 1044: Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act of 2019 was introduced. We will write about it later.
You should remember that this article is not intended to provide you with legal advice; it is intended only to provide guidance about potential immigration policies. Furthermore, the article is not intended to explain or identify all potential issues that may arise in connection with representation before immigration courts, USCIS or ICE. Each case is fact-specific and therefore similar cases may have different outcomes.
I represent individuals in immigration cases. If you have any questions or concerns about an immigration case or potential case, you can call me at (315) 422-5673, send me a fax at (315) 466-5673, or e-mail me at joseperez@joseperezyourlawyer.com. The Law Office of Jose Perez has now moved and is located at 659 West Onondaga Street, Upper Level, Syracuse, New York 13204. Now with offices in Buffalo and Rochester!!! Please look for my next article in the October edition.