Worcester Business Journal

wbjournal.com | April 21, 2025 | Worcester Business Journal 11 academic year 2023-2024, according to the Institute of International Education. Crucial industries like health care already struggling to hire and retain employees will suffer setbacks if the country loses international students, said Vokes. Simply put, fewer professionals with post-secondary degrees means fewer people available to fill degree-mandatory positions. By 2031, 72% of jobs will require post- secondary education or training, includ- ing 95% of total job openings in STEM and social services; education; healthcare professional and technical; community services and arts; and managerial and professional offices requiring at least some postsecondary education, accord- ing to report by Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. "e past week has been an especially unsettling one for our international students, with the federal government's unprecedented process of revoking student visas. Unfortunately, we expect this will continue," wrote the Clark executives in their letter. schools have been anticipating for a number of years." Worcester is home to around 3,000 international students, with WPI and Clark leading the way. International students make up 35% of Clark students and 15% of WPI's students. UMass Chan Medical School, College of the Holy Cross, and Worcester State University all have at least 117 international students each, ranging from 2% to 8% of their student bodies. "Just a couple of weeks ago, we came together for Gala, a beautiful celebration of the deep connection we have at Clark with our international students and how, through our individual uniqueness, we are stronger and better as a community. One community," Clark's executives wrote in their April 10 letter. In the 2023-2024 academic year, international students contributed contributed $413.5 million to the economy and supported 3,845 jobs in the Massachusetts 2nd Congressional District, which encompasses most of Worcester County, according to an analysis performed by Washington D.C.-based NAFSA: Association of International Educators in partnership with Indiana tech company JB International. at's part of the $3.9-billion economic impact and 35,849 supported jobs by international students in Massachusetts, according to NAFSA. Since the Trump Administration is also revoking visas for documented employees, that might further dampen international students' desires to come to the U.S., said Vokes. "If the likelihood of them getting a job post graduation is less likely, they may not want to invest the time and energy and the money into forging those connections and studying within the U.S.," said Vokes. Sewing fear and uncertainty e Trump Administration's actions are creating fears among international students ranging from their studies being interrupted to not being able to return aer a summer break, with even more dire concerns stemming from incidents such the highly-publicized arrest and detainment of Rumeysa Ozturk, an international student at Tus University in Medford. "In this climate of uncertainty, I want to assure WPI's international students, staff, and faculty: You are welcome here. You belong here. WPI is here to support you," Wang wrote in her April 10 letter. In many cases, the Trump Administration is wrongfully targeting individuals in an attempt to scare others, oen claiming alleged foreign national security or foreign policy issues, said Richard Iandoli, partner at Boston immigration law firm Iandoli Desai & Cronin. While cancelling visas does make W Angel Pérez, CEO of the National Association for College Admission Counseling We aren't reliant on immigrants With a big push from the federal government to drive down both legal and illegal immigration, economic officials worry how a reduction in new arrivals to the U.S. will impact the availability of workers amid a national workforce shortage. Population growth in Massachusetts over the past two decades has been highly dependent on new immigrants moving here. Any reduction can be felt by businesses who have a significant immigrant workforce, as well as at organizations relying on foreign-born customers, such tourist destinations or universities with a high number of full-tuition- paying international students. When polled online, the majority of WBJ readers said they don't expect their businesses to be impacted by a reduction in immigrant customers or workforce. How reliant is your business on immigrants? Somewhat, although our business should be able to weather a reduction in immigration. international students deportable, it does not mean they can't continue studying in the country nor does it warrant arrest or detainment, especially without due process, Iandoli said. Instead of issuing students with a notice to appear in front of an immigration judge, the administration is going into the Student and Exchange Visitor Program system and terminating the student visas, a move immigration lawyers are saying is outside of the administration's jurisdiction. "What they're hoping is that people will self-deport," said Iandoli. When WBJ asked the U.S. Department of State about the revocation of the four WPI student visas, it said it couldn't comment on individual cases but the overall visa review is part of Trump's approach to national security. "When considering revocations, the department looks at information that arises aer the visa was issued that may indicate a potential visa ineligibility under U.S. immigration laws, pose a threat to public safety, or other situations where revocation is warranted. is can include everything from arrests, criminal convictions, and engaging in conduct that is inconsistent with the visa classification, to an overstay," the State Department wrote to WBJ. "e Department of State will continue to work closely with the Department of Homeland Security to enforce zero tolerance for aliens in the United States who violate U.S. laws, threaten public safety, or in other situations where warranted." WPI, Clark, Holy Cross, Assumption University, and UMass Chan all declined to make officials available for interviews for this story. Ripple effects A decline in the country's international student population is very much anticipated by industry leaders, said Pérez. U.S. schools will lose out on the rich diversity of international students bring to campus life while their economic structure will take a massive hit, he said. Each school allocates a portion of its enrollment- and tuition-based revenue to the income generated by international students. e administration's new policy enforcement could not be coming at a worse time, as colleges and universities within the state and country are facing a collective decline in enrollment over the past few years. Additionally, the Trump Administration's attempts to cut National Institutes of Health funding to universities and research institutions only compounds concerns, said Vokes. UMass Chan, for example, is expecting to lose $80 million in annual revenue from the NIH funding cuts and has already implemented a hiring freeze and planned layoffs. While the destructive effects of a reduced international student body can't be underestimated for colleges and universities, the repercussions of their loss will undoubtedly also bleed out into local communities and economies, said Pérez. "Communities are devastated when colleges don't do well," said Pérez. "Everyone should care about the fact that higher education is currently under attack, not just people with children going to college." Cities and towns deeply rely on the colleges and universities within them, he said, using the example of Green Mountain College. e 185-year-old Vermont school closed in May of 2019, leaving the small town of Poultney without its largest employer. By December of that year, nearly all of the school's former professors had gained employment elsewhere and relocated while property values took a nosedive, according to a report by Boston news agency GBH. e loss of international students in Central Massachusetts could have long- term ramifications for the workforce, especially since a high number of them are studying STEM-related fields, Vokes said. In fact, 56% of international students pursued STEM fields of study in Not at all, as we don't expect the immigration crackdown to impact us. 52% Not significantly, although I do worry about the overall impact on the economy. 19% 9% Significantly, it could have a major impact on our business. 20% READER COMMENT: "I have not read about the crackdown on legal immigration. Where can a person read about that?" - Todd Dube

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