As the U.S. sees renewed shifts in immigration policy under the Trump administration, the implications are rippling across industries, universities, and the next generation of global talent—especially international students. With rising visa denials, new executive orders, and increasing scrutiny around admissibility, questions are growing about how these changes affect the pipeline of young professionals entering the U.S. workforce. We spoke with several immigration and mobility professionals to better understand the risks, realities, and necessary responses in this evolving landscape.
Heightened Scrutiny and Chilling Effects
For many, the most immediate concern is the overall sense of instability these policies are creating.
“Recent changes to U.S. immigration policies, implemented through the issuance of executive orders and federal mandates, have impacted international students by creating uncertainty in their ability to travel internationally, being subjected to increased levels of scrutiny when seeking admission to the United States, and being able to freely express their personal political views on social media,” says LaQuanda Tysinger, senior attorney at Erickson Immigration Group.
The impact is also deeply personal, particularly for families making long-term educational and financial commitments.
“Even the perception of possible immigration changes can be a deterrent from enrolling at U.S. universities,” says Elizabeth Kumbhari, managing partner at Go Global Immigration PLLC and chair-elect of the WERC Board of Directors. “Higher education is a large investment of both time and financial resources for the entire family.”
Increased F-1 visa denial rates are another stark indicator of the trend. “In 2022, F-1 visa applicants saw a 34% denial rate; in 2023, 36%; and in 2024, 41%,” Kumbhari notes, adding that these figures far exceed the denial rate for B1/B2 visitors in 2024, which was under 30%.
Executive Orders Driving New Uncertainty
Two new executive orders issued in early 2025 have added further complexity: the Executive Order: Protecting the United States from Foreign Terrorists and Other National Security and Public Safety Threats and the Executive Order: Additional Measures to Combat Anti-Semitism.
“These orders have increased the levels of scrutiny with regards to vetting and screening individuals during the visa issuance process,” Tysinger says. “Institutions of higher learning will ensure that such reports about aliens lead, as appropriate and consistent with applicable law, to investigations and, if warranted, actions to remove such aliens.”
Tysinger also says that the orders empower the Secretary of State to suspend admissions from countries deemed to have “insufficient vetting processes,” which could significantly alter the composition of incoming international students.
A Workforce Pipeline at Risk
From the corporate mobility perspective, these shifts are more than an administrative burden—they’re a threat to future talent strategies.
“If we zoom out a bit,” says Sheryll Young, SGMS-T, director of global mobility at OpenText and chair of WERC’s tax public policy forum, “I think what these changes are likely to have an impact on are our student enrollments, potential impact on internships or post-grad employment, and increased administration and oversight to the extent that a company relies or has a heavy reliance on this demographic.”
The result is not a wholesale shift away from international student talent, she says, but rather a call for more “advanced planning as opposed to scrapping a talent plan that includes students.”
And for global employers with operations across borders, this is not just a U.S. issue. “It’s more challenging from a Canadian lens, because we do have a significant population undergraduate work permit categories,” Young says. “We’re also dealing with the scrutiny, but we’re also dealing with a reduction in targets—where does the next set of talent need to come from?”
Adjusting the Approach: From Employers to Universities
Employers and universities alike are working to adapt.
“Businesses and universities in the United States are actively reviewing and analyzing the issuance of executive orders, federal mandates, and policy changes to determine how their international student population may be impacted,” Tysinger says. “They are also proactively assessing alternate visa options to avoid a potential disruption in their immigration status.”
Beyond policy navigation, there’s a human element in guiding students through their transition from education to employment.
“While in school, international students typically have [principal designated school officials]/[additional designated school officials] who specialize in F/M immigration. Corporate mobility professionals can help transition students into the workforce by explaining the student's responsibilities as employees in maintaining their immigration status,” Kumbhari says.
Tysinger agrees. “Corporate mobility professionals should analyze trends at specific ports of entry and update their international student population on a regular basis to ensure they are up to date on travel alerts, potential travel bans, and immigration policy changes.”
Rethinking Talent Strategies
The biggest question moving forward may be how companies build resiliency into their talent pipelines in the face of these growing uncertainties.
“When we look at the student population, are we now needing to actually validate. Do we understand that the programs that students are coming in to study for—is that where the labor shortage really is?” asks Young. “There needs to be greater alignment to ensure that there is going to be a viable pipeline.”
Tysinger points to one positive development: a new Department of Homeland Security rule, effective January 2025, that modernizes the H-1B program and extends the “cap-gap” period. This allows eligible F-1 students to continue working through April 1 of the following year rather than ending work authorization on 30 September.
Still, mobility leaders remain cautious.
“To not have an international student pipeline would be a disadvantage,” Young says. “The next generation is central to workforce talent strategies, and it will be critical that advocacy efforts and policy decisions weigh the long-term impact. The future of our workforce depends on the actions we take now.”