New Visa Regulations Shift Attitudes Among International Students

Helena Likus ’26

News Editor

On Aug. 28, 2025, 47 international students were matriculated into Trinity’s Class of 2029 after a summer that was marked by a wave of constant updates and changes to visa proceedings. Most notably, a complete pause in issuing F, M and J visas, which lasted from May 27 until June 18, 2025. It ended with the U.S. Department of State mandating that visa applicants make all their social media accounts public for screening and vetting. Moreover, as of June 9, 2025, there is a suspension in issuing F, M and J visas for nationals of 19 countries, ranging from Sudan to Venezuela. 

The College’s Associate Director of the Office of International Students and Scholars Katie Clair spoke to the Tripod about the attitudes and concerns of international students from the incoming class.

“I had emails from students when we had the brief visa pause,” Clair said. “There was definitely some concern there, like, ‘Should I even try to come?’ and then, once the visa pauses ended, they all decided to continue on.” 

Trinity College published that 10% of the Class of 2029 is international.This marks a small decrease from the previous class, where 64 students out of 547 were international, which brings it to just below 12%. However, Clair stated that, in terms of admission, there were no changes in how many international students were accepted; rather, it was the number of international students who decided to enroll that created this decrease. “I’m not sure exactly why that is. It could be the international student situation,” Clair added.  

This issue is not limited to the newest class. Clair said that returning international students expressed a lot of anxiety about the political situation: “I think a lot of the changes have been surprising. There have been changes in terms of visa length for some students, depending on what country they are from and then, just in general, there is uncertainty, and I think that uncertainty is always hard to deal with.” This concern is reflected in the number of international students that decided to remain on campus during the summer. Clair said, “We had more people staying over the summer than we had before.” 

Even though the school year has begun and some of the concerns related to entering the United States might be gone, the changes to visa proceedings are not stopping. On Sept. 6, 2025, the U.S. Department of State mandated that all non-immigrant visa applicants have to schedule their interviews in their country of nationality and residence. Countries without diplomatic relationship with the United States were designated a specific consulate or embassy in another country. 

When asked about the potential reason for all the changes in visa proceedings, Clair said, “Honestly, I think they are trying to make things harder for international students to come here. I think, personally, that this is a way to weaken higher education in the United States.” 

The turmoil and uncertainty caused by constant updates in visa regulations have also shifted how international students feel about staying in the United States upon completing their degree. In a conversation with Tripod, one international student from the senior class asserted, “It is definitely more difficult now than ever before to make any sustainable and dependable long-term plans. As much as I would love to stay here, the legal processes and the job market are not exactly working in my favor at the moment.” They shared that they know other international students who feel similarly but remain optimistic, “A few who want to stay here are also hoping the same as me and are trusting the systems to not be as intransigent as they seem right now.”

However, not all international students share this positive outlook. One student, whose country was directly affected by the visa suspension, shared that upon graduating, “With everything going on, I just want to leave.”