WASHINGTON, D.C. — Amidst increasing efforts by the Trump administration to limit opportunities for international students at higher education institutions, FWD.us is releasing a new report today outlining the immense economic and innovation contributions of international students to the United States.

For decades, the United States has been the top destination for international students seeking a higher education. But starting March 2025, the Trump administration began efforts to target them, including unlawful attempts to strip many of their legal status. FWD.us' new report highlights how these actions are creating widespread fear, disrupting tens of thousands of students’ lives, and jeopardizing the U.S.'s standing in the global race for talent.

“For over a century, America’s colleges and universities have been the top destination for international students from around the world, driving innovation, creativity and benefiting our entire country. Today, this is under threat,” said Todd Schulte, President of FWD.us. “Undermining our colleges and universities from attracting and retaining top talent is a strategic mistake that will only do our country a disservice. From mass student visa revocations to attacks on international students’ ability to stay and work after they graduate, the recent steps from the administration are clearly in the wrong direction. Pushing away international students will harm our ability to compete globally and make Americans’ day-to-day lives worse. Our elected leaders should focus on the policy solutions we know will ensure the U.S. remains the top destination for the world’s best and brightest, including by modernizing our immigration system so that U.S.-educated graduates can build their futures – and ours – right here.”

Key Facts:

75% of prospective advanced STEM students surveyed by FWD.us in 2021 hoped to stay and work in the U.S., but many are already forced to leave due to restrictive and outdated immigration policies. 42% of those surveyed confirmed interest in a long-term stay of 4 years or more.

143 of the 582 U.S. billion-dollar startup companies were founded by former international students, each creating an average of 860 jobs.

In the 2023-2024 school year, international students contributed $43.8 billion to the U.S. economy and supported over 375,000 jobs.

Despite earning U.S. degrees in critical industries for the U.S. economy, international graduates already face significant barriers to staying and working in the country. The United States does not currently offer a post-graduation work visa or a specialized pathway to permanent residency for graduates of American colleges and universities, a policy failure that is increasingly pushing some of the world’s most talented and educated professionals to take their skills elsewhere, often to countries, like China, with more modern policies tailored for the global race for talent.

FWD.us is urging Congress to:

Establish direct pathways to permanent residency for international student graduates
Codify OPT and establish additional post-graduation work opportunities
Exempt advanced degree holders from H-1B caps
Permit ‘dual-intent’ for student visas
Create visas for entrepreneurs (many of whom are international student graduates)