A newly introduced bill, if enacted, would cap the number of foreign students American universities are permitted to enroll.
S.2111, introduced by Senator Rick Scott (R-FL) and currently being considered by the Senate’s Judiciary Committee, limits the number of foreign students who may enroll in a university under the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP).
The SEVP oversees programs allowing foreign students and exchange visitors to enter the United States temporarily to pursue studies, vocational training, or complete exchange programs.
The bill’s text has yet to be revealed, so the limitations that the bill would impose on universities remain unclear.
However, Senator Scott’s measure continues a trend of Republican initiatives tightening the screws around the US’s student visa programs since pro-Palestine campus protests erupted nationwide in response to the Israel-Hamas war.
State Secretary Marco Rubio, a long-time proponent of revoking student visas for those whom the US government deems are undermining its national interests, is leading the efforts.
In late March, Secretary Rubio confirmed he had revoked the visas of hundreds of students participating in antisemitic riots across American University campuses.
Rubio promised to continue revoking visas until “we’ve gotten rid of all” terrorist sympathizers.
However, visa restrictions for foreign students did not stop at terrorist sympathizers.
Recently, Rubio also announced that he will begin to expel or revoke the visas of Chinese students studying at U.S.colleges and universities.
According to SEVP reports, there are over 1.5 million foreign students currently enrolled in American universities.
Florida is one of the states with the most international students (91,108), topped only by Massachusetts, New York, California, and Texas.
In 2024, foreign student enrollment increased by over 5%, with China and India being the most popular countries of origin for foreign students.
Chinese and Indian students account for over 400,000 and 300,000, respectively, of the total foreign student population in the US.
