Support Refugee and International Students this Welcoming Week and Beyond

 

SUPPORT REFUGEE AND INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS THIS WELCOMING WEEK AND BEYOND

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 15, 2022
Contact: Jose Magaña-Salgado (jose@presidentsalliance.org)

Washington, D.C.— This week, the Presidents’ Alliance is proud to join higher education institutions and communities in celebrating Welcoming Week 2022 – a chance to spotlight why expanding opportunities for refugees and international students is good for students, campuses, and our broader society. Over the past year, our country has taken important steps to be more welcoming to these student populations, with more on the horizon for the coming year. Below, find an overview of how we can support refugee and international students this Welcoming Week and beyond:

Refugee Students
Laura Wagner, Project Manager for the Presidents’ Alliance Initiative on U.S. Education Pathways for Refugee Students, stated: “The Biden administration has affirmed its commitment to refugee resettlement by welcoming tens of thousands of displaced Afghans and Ukrainians over the past year and through its stated commitment to resettle 125,000 refugees in FY23. The accompanying Report to Congress also recognized the importance of building on last year’s important progress on private sponsorship and specifically identified the crucial role higher education institutions can play in sponsoring refugee students.” 

• Read the President’s Report to Congress on Proposed Refugee Admissions for Fiscal Year 2023, released on September 9th. The Report recommends a refugee admissions target of 125,000 for Fiscal Year 2023 and highlights the potential of a pilot private sponsorship program through the P4 refugee admissions category, which could allow U.S. higher education institutions to identify and sponsor refugee students.
• Read about the RESPONSE Campaign: College and University Sponsorship of Refugee Students designed to build support for a new college and university refugee sponsorship program among higher education audiences. Read the Presidents’ Alliance report about increasing U.S. education pathways for refugee students through private sponsorship and view a toolkit that provides the information and tools to join and spread awareness about the RESPONSE Campaign. The toolkit can be used by everyone from students to higher education leaders.
• Read the op-ed in the Albany Times-Union, “Universities should play greater role in supporting refugees,” by Havidán Rodríguez, president of the University at Albany, and Rey Koslowski, professor of political science and international affairs in UAlbany’s Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy. 

International Students
Jill Welch, Senior Policy Advisor, stated: “International students and scholars strengthen our national priorities of building a stronger economy and ensuring the United States remains a world leader in innovation. While this administration has already taken several important steps in the midst of heightened competition from other nations for these talented students and scholars, we need a coordinated, government-wide initiative to not only remove remaining barriers but to proactively incentivize these individuals to choose the United States first among their many options. 

• Relevant policy recs in Administrative Agenda for Immigration and Higher Education and Legislative Recommendations for Welcoming International Students
• Read about one of our latest efforts to implement administrative recommendations on extending the personal interview waiver for those who have previously been vetted: A Joint Letter to the State Department Bureau of Consular Affairs to express appreciation for the efforts made to date to ensure efficient visa processing as we continue to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and to urge making these policies and processes permanent where possible.

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The nonpartisan, nonprofit Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration brings college and university presidents and chancellors together on the immigration issues that impact higher education, our students, campuses, communities and nation. We work to advance just immigration policies and practices at the federal, state, and campus level that are consistent with our heritage as a nation of immigrants and the academic values of equity and openness. The Alliance is composed of over 550 presidents and chancellors of public and private colleges and universities, enrolling over five million students in 43 states, D.C., and Puerto Rico.