Top 12 Trending International Education News June 25 , 2020

President Trump Signs Executive Order Temporarily Suspending Work Visas For H-1B Holders Despite cries of opposition from industry experts and academics, U.S. President Donald J. Trump signed an executive order halting work visas like the H-1B, shutting out highly skilled foreign workers. American tech companies warn that the move will hurt their ability to compete at an international level, which may force some companies to relocate overseas in order to hire and retain top technology talent. The proclamation also suspended H-2B, J-1, and L-1 visas - which are expected to last until the end of the year - possibly hurting the United States' advantage as a preferred study-abroad destination. Against previous announcements, the executive order left the Optional Practical Training program untouched, which is anticipated to become more in-demand with the lack of new H-1B candidates. Tech Crunch

International Students Feeling Helpless As COVID-19 Leaves Semester Hanging As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect universities and colleges around the world, international students struggle with less to no income, a lack of affordable housing, and increasing tuition. Fees are expected to increase by 3% in the upcoming year in some universities, which has resulted in a demand from the Migrant Workers Alliance for Change to the Canadian prime minister and cabinet members to have permanent residency status granted for all international students currently in Canada. This development comes amid the country’s rising unemployment rate narrowing available work opportunities for foreigners. Global News

Government Launches Online Visa Renewal System For Foreign Students In Dublin In a move to keep the Irish international education industry afloat, a new virtual system has been launched to put the overall visa application and renewal process completely online for international students in Dublin. Currently supporting everything from form completion to document submission, the system should be made available to students outside the capital and foreign nationals once it sees initial success. With student applications also being prioritized at soon-to-open visa offices, Ireland hopes to rehabilitate its image of “historically difficult” document processing. The Irish Times

Australian University Fees To Double For Some Arts Courses, But Fall For Stem Subjects In an effort to create more “job-ready graduates,” education minister Dan Tehan announced the Coalition’s new policy to double university fees for future arts, commerce, and law students. The funding from this increase will be funnelled to increase student capacity and lower the cost of more in-demand STEM courses. Due to the pandemic, professionals in the STEM field are anticipated to be in very high demand. Student contributions are poised to increase by 113% for humanities courses and 28% for law and commerce courses, while courses for nursing, science and engineering, maths, and teaching are seen to drop by up to 62%. The Guardian

'User Pay' Quarantine For Those Entering NZ Could Mean More Compliance, Less Staff Needed After the $81 million forecasted cost for the managed quarantine of 20,151 people entering the Australian border, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has announced she will consider the possibility of a user-paid quarantine. The government would subsidize the cost to make the cost more acceptable to individuals, though cooperation with currently unoccupied hotels would be necessary. At present, international students will not be eligible for the service due to the sheer number of their population. Instead, chartered flights entering Canberra were recently put under the government’s consideration as students await further announcements. TVNZ

University And Arts Council In Drive To Re-Brand 'Soft' Academic Subjects The London School of Economics leads the “Shape” campaign to encourage more students to choose humanities, arts, and social sciences courses. Advocating for those programs, campaigners aim to highlight the importance of "soft subjects" that can lead to high-status careers and exceptional abilities in interpreting culture, society, and environment. The campaign suggests an agenda to establish equality between the humanities and STEM disciplines. The campaign follows recent reports of non-STEM students in India considering dropping their study-abroad plans due to a suspected low ROI. The Guardian

International Students Can Enter France As Of July 1 The French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs has officially invited international students to travel to France starting on July 1, regardless of their country of origin. On the same date, the processing of their visa and residence permit applications will be prioritized as external borders will gradually begin to open up from the Schengen Area, under the European Commission's recommendation. With handling of the COVID-19 pandemic affecting the reputation of countries as viable study-abroad destinations, the success of France's plans could put the nation on higher preference among foreign students. Schengen Visa Info News

Universities' Concern Over 2m Rule In Wales Lockdown restrictions in Wales may soon start to ease if people and facilities strictly adhere to the government's two-meter social distancing recommendation. If followed in universities, leaders hope it could lessen the quality and success of student recruitment and classroom instruction. When questioned of the possibility of chartering flights to bring international students into Wales, a government spokesperson points to the lack of sustainable funding and a strong commitment to supporting universities. If compliant with the two-meter social distancing rule, universities all over England may start to open up by July 4. BCC

Notre Dame Not Requiring New Applicants To Submit SAT Scores This Year In line with its one-year pilot program, the University of Notre Dame is no longer requiring first-year and transfer students to submit standardized testing scores as part of the application process. As submission of SAT scores will be made optional, application requirements will still include high school grades, extracurricular activities, letters of recommendation, and written essays. International students who are not native English-speakers will also have to take and submit scores from their English exams. WSBT 22 News

University Fee Changes To Funnel Students Into Specific Courses Won't Help Us, Vice-Chancellors Say Two of Australia’s vice-chancellors spoke out against education minister Dan Tehan’s attempts to increase enrollment in more in-demand STEM courses by reducing their fees and increasing those of humanities and law courses. According to the two vice-chancellors, tuition increases will not help universities deal with lost revenue during the ongoing pandemic. For ANU Vice-Chancellor Brian Schmidt, the policy will create more places for Australian students but at a higher cost, as a majority of universities likely will not receive any extra funding. Many prospective international students have expressed concerns that increased tuition levels can cause them to withdraw their application. ABC News

Japan's Re-entry Ban Threatens Scholarships, Admission And Graduation For Foreign Students Japan has imposed a strict entry ban on travellers from 111 countries and regions. This coronavirus-induced ban applies to foreign residents who hold valid student visas, leaving many international students unable to reenter the country to continue their studies. Met with criticism by the country’s international community, the ban also threatens colleges and universities with high acceptance rates of international students. Currently, only foreign nationals are permitted to reenter the country if they left on “humanitarian grounds,” while international students are largely overlooked. The Japan Times

International Students, B.C. Homestay Families Learn To Live Together During The Pandemic In British Columbia, international students have decided to stay put despite calls to return to their home countries, creating unique study-abroad experiences. Adapting to the state of global health with their homestay families, the students choose to remain in Canada where cases are more controlled in comparison to other states. Amid the pandemic, several international students have developed a deeper bond with their homestay families, strengthening their desire to pursue a future in the country. Clearwater Times

Featured Institution: Mount Allison University Right at the heart of the picturesque town of Sackville, New Brunswick, is Mount Allison University, a liberal arts and science university primarily for undergraduates. Mount Allison University has been recognized 21 times as the top undergraduate university in Canada by Maclean’s in the past 29 years. The university offers a number of degrees in the liberal arts and science fields. Its education is research-based and provides students with opportunities to learn from and work closely with experts in their field. The university offers the unique ability for students to customize an interdisciplinary and holistic education that suits their interests. Mount Allison University prides itself on having a low student-to-faculty ratio that helps cultivate meaningful interactions between professors and their students who come from over 50 countries around the world. Mount Allison University

Featured Program: Bachelor of Park and Conservation Management, Paul Smith's College Paul Smith’s College offers a Bachelor of Science degree in Park and Conservation Management for students who understand the important balance between society and the natural world. The course work includes environmental resource analysis, human resource management, science and environmental communication, and park design. Because of the unique location of the campus, students in this course can explore the Adirondack Park for a hands-on learning experience. The course also offers opportunities for students to study abroad and apply their knowledge in various contexts and cultures. As one of the largest college campuses in the world, Paul Smith’s provides its Park and Conservation Management students with a unique and in-depth educational experience that prepares them for a thriving career in parks and recreation both in the public and private sector. Paul Smith's College

International Education Conferences & Workshops

THE Virtual World Academic Summit The power of place September 1-2, 2020 in Toronto, Canada The PIE Live Inspiring thought leaders in international education September 10, 2020 in London, UK 2nd World Conference on Future of Education September 11-13 , 2020 in Brussels, Belgium The 3rd International Conference on the Future of Education 2020 October 29-30, 2020 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia  CBIE 2020 Conference November 15-18, 2020 in Ontario, Canada The PIEoneer Awards 2020 New date TBA, online THE Asia Universities Summit Crossing boundaries, unlocking creativity May 21 to June 3, 2021 in Nagoya, Japan EAIE Conference and Exhibition September 13-16, 2022 in Barcelona, Spain

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