Policy Priorities

On June 18, the Department of State ended its three-week pause on new F, J, and M visa interviews but began requiring international applicants to make their social media accounts public for screening. While interviews have resumed, delays and increased scrutiny continue to threaten timely arrivals for the fall semester.

NAFSA remains committed to its long-standing priorities of ensuring the global competency of U.S. college graduates through expanding access to study abroad and attracting and retaining the best and brightest international talent.

NAFSA advocates for increased federal funding to ensure U.S. colleges and universities can recruit global student talent and prepare graduates with the skills necessary for future workforce success. Congress passed a continuing resolution in March 2025 to keep federal agencies funded at their current levels until September 30, 2025.

To make study abroad the norm, not the exception, for today's U.S. college students, Congress should support the Senator Paul Simon Study Abroad Program Act to incentivize higher education to increase study abroad and provide a cost-effective, sustainable way to ensure more U.S. undergraduates can study internationally.