Welcome to Dale's Digest, a curated newsletter from Foreign Credentials Service of America (FCSA). Below are a collection of articles from reliable sources regarding news and trends in international enrollment.
The speaker at the Opening Session of the AACRAO Annual Meeting was Lt. Gen. Russel L. Honore, well known for his efforts following Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans.
His well-known quote, "Don't get stuck on stupid," was met with laughter and applause. But more relevant was a topic he addressed later in his talk.
"The time to prepare for a catastrophe is not when the catastrophe hits, but days, weeks, months, or years before it strikes." This is relevant for international admissions.
As a reader of this newsletter, you have witnessed dramatic declines in international applications and enrollments. Hoping such downturns will end in 2029 must be met with changes in our efforts to attract and enroll students from other countries.
The time is now to prepare for efforts to return our international enrollments to previous levels.
FCSA can help with your efforts to plan for that time.
New Zealand Reaches International Student Goal a Decade Early
A new survey reveals that New Zealand has reached a key international education milestone nearly a decade ahead of schedule: Twenty-two percent of prospective international students now rank the country among their top three study destinations, a target originally set for 2034, reports The PIE News.
The finding comes from Education New Zealand's Global Brand Health and Awareness Survey, which assessed New Zealand's standing across 11 study markets worldwide, moving beyond the traditional Big Four destinations of Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Enrollment data reinforces the achievement showing that from January to August 2025, 83,535 international students enrolled with New Zealand providers, a 14 percent increase over the same period in 2024, already surpassing the previous year's full-year total of 83,425.
U.S. Courts Weigh In on Immigration Benefits Applications Freeze
The federal freeze on immigration benefit applications, which include employment authorization applications that students approved to pursue Optional Practical Training (OPT) are required to apply for, is creating widespread hardship as the academic year ends, with an estimated 1 million work authorization applications affected, according to reporting from multiple outlets.
According to the Trump administration, the pause, which was triggered by U.S. Department of Homeland Security memos issued in late 2025 and early 2026, was initiated to allow time for a national security review. However, five months later, no timeline for resumption has been announced.
Latitudes reports that a federal judge in California has issued a preliminary injunction ordering the Trump administration to lift the hold for lawsuit plaintiffs.
Inside Higher Ed relays that roughly 30 lawsuits have been filed challenging the freeze, with four injunctions granted to date.
The Cato Institute estimates the federal government has collected more than $1 billion in fees for applications that remain unprocessed, reports WJSU.
A group of Senate Democrats sent a letter to the Government Accountability Office requesting an inquiry into the indefinite holds by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services in immigration processing for applicants from travel ban countries.
