International Education News – February 2026

Posted on Tuesday, February 10th, 2026 at 2:07 pm

International education didn’t waste any time hitting the news in 2026. The big focus this month has been on the latest addition to the travel bans: a temporary halting of immigration applications (including extensions) for all nationals from countries listed on the travel ban list. While this visa pause allegedly is not supposed to impact existing visa holders, it does include OPT applications and anyone attempting to change from a current status to a different status within the US (F-1 to H1-B, for example). The Department of Homeland Security says the pause is to give the department time to review their vetting procedures, and could include a “reexamining [of] all approved applications as far back as January 20, 2021” including conducting new interviews for “those of concern” (thepienews.com). As our readers can likely attest to, The Pie reports that immigration advisors and DSOs are advising students to plan for delays in their applications and avoid traveling internationally while their application remains in process.

NAFSA responded in early February with recommendations for advisors, and included the following: “the pause impacts immigrant visa issuance at US consulates abroad, and does not affect nonimmigrant visas such as B tourist visas, F student visas, J exchange visitor visas, H-1B work visas, etc.” However, the memo notes, there are 23 countries included in the travel ban who have separate restrictions and may not be currently eligible for nonimmigrant visas based on those additional suspensions (NAFSA.org). For students concerned if their current valid visa could be affected, NAFSA told The Pie that they are concerned revocations could occur, but “no immigrant visas have been revoked as part of this guidance” thus far (thepienews.com). 

Unsurprisingly, these unprecedented immigration application pauses have elicited legal action, with a large coalition of “American citizens, immigration nonprofits and legal organizations” filing a lawsuit against Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the State Department (NYT). While this case remains unsettled in its early days, January did bring a legal win for international students. In Massachusetts, a Ronald Reagan-appointed federal judge ruled in favor of free speech, asserting that “the administration…must not single out international students or academics for their pro-Palestinian views by changing their immigration status in retaliation for speaking out” (thepienews.com). In 2025, a large number of international students were subject to sudden changes in visa status and even arrest and deportation based on their previous participation in peaceful protests against Israel’s military action in Gaza that were held on college campuses around the country. This legal decision marks an important distinction for free speech and support of international students’ constitutional protections.