NAFSA: Association of International Educators released a report last month on visa and immigration reform.The report is titled “A Visa and Immigration Policy for the Brain Circulation Era: Adjusting to What Happened in the World While We Were Busy Making Other Plans” and is authored by Victor Johnson, a senior advisor for public policy at NAFSA.  The full report can be found here.

NAFSA gives the following summary of the report:

The report urges U.S. policymakers to move toward defining the country’s security objectives more broadly than has been the case in much of the post-9/11 period, stressing that openness to the world is imperative for ensuring our country’s long-term well-being and security. The report also notes that the United States has been slow to appreciate and adjust to a paradigm shift in global mobility that has fundamentally altered patterns of travel and work around the world. America can no longer assume that it is the preferred destination for people who seek to improve their lives outside their home countries. Talented students and skilled workers have many options around the world – they will go to the places that welcome them and offer the best opportunities. The United States’ challenge is to participate in the global community in a way that lifts up Americans to compete in a global workforce while also being open, accessible, and attractive to the world’s best talent and future leaders.

The report makes recommendations in the following key areas:

• Visa Reform –Revising the policy on interviews for visa applicants; expediting reviews for low-risk travelers; reforming the security clearance process for visiting scientists

• Comprehensive Immigration Reform – Reforming employment-based immigration; attracting international students; improving management of the Department of Homeland Security

• Identity Documents and Document Security – Revisiting REAL ID

The Obama Administration has committed itself to constructive U.S. engagement in the world, to an economic recovery that enhances long-term economic competitiveness, and to robust student, scholar, and citizen exchanges. Congress and the administration must work together to ensure that the United States can be open, accessible, and attractive to the world’s best students and talent.

I have previously written about a small but growing amount of brain drain from the U.S. (international students returning home and Americans choosing to attend school outside of the U.S.) - that post is here. However, I think that the term “brain circulation” is a much better one as it accurately describes the dynamic of student mobility (and the mobility of those who have entered the workplace).   This is an excellent report that focuses on an issue that is at the very heart of global engagement.

At the US Consulate in Hyderbad, "I have nothing to declare but my genius" - Photo Credit: US Department of State

NAFSA, the association of international educators, a released a report this week noting that “[f]oreign students and their dependents continue to make a significant contribution to local and state economies, spending $17.6 billion in the United States during the 2008- 2009 academic year…California, New York, and Texas welcomed the largest numbers of foreign students, and those states each saw a substantial benefit from the spending students and their families do on day-to-day necessities, as well as tuition and fees. “  An excellent summary of the economic impact data can been accessed herewith the capability of seeing economic impact by state and congressional district.  NAFSA notes:

This conservative figure, $17.6 billion, is based on tuition figures from Wintergreen Orchard House, enrollment figures from the Institute of International Education’s Open Doors 2009 report, living expenses calculated from Wintergreen Orchard House figures, and analysis of the data by Jason Baumgartner at Indiana University – Bloomington’s Office of International Services.

There is no doubt that the attraction of international students to the U.S. is of great value for academic, economic and cultural reasons (to name but a few).   But with the economic downturn hitting states  - and therefore public universities - very hard, there is a temptation in U.S. state capitals to hike tuition for international students and use that mechanism to fill in budget gaps.  Last month the New York State Comptoller’s office issued a report arguing that State University of New York should charge out-of-state students nearly $8,500 more a semester so state taxpayers are not paying for these students to attend their public universities.  Last year officials in California argued for taking more international students so that their higher fees and tuition rates could be used to fill in budget gaps. This strategy undermines the long-term relationship U.S. public universities have with partner universities overseas and sends a message to both international and domestic audiences alike that the attraction of international students is merely a cash cow.   That message, combined with increased tuition and limited seats for in-state students has the potential to flame nativist fires.  So, we should be clear that international students add to our fragile state economies, but that fact should always be placed in the context of the overall value of international education - a value that accrues to all involved.