April 9, 2026: This Week in International Student News
- Carrie Circosta
- 58 minutes ago
- 6 min read
There are now 11 states with restaurants or bars that have some kind of phone restriction as part of the "digital detox" movement.
Owners say not having your phone forces you to…connect…with those around you.
It also helps protect the privacy of guests and helps maintain an enjoyable environment.
If this sounds like heaven to you...before you plop your phone in the "you'll get this back in 2 hours box"... get caught up on this week’s headlines:
📰 Top Headlines: A Brazilian PhD student may be forced to leave the U.S. over an internship gap, Iranian students grapple with a deeply personal and polarizing global conflict, and faculty warn that university cooperation with ICE is making campuses feel less safe.
🔍 Interesting Find: More colleges are bringing back oral exams to test students because of AI
🎓 Featured Scholarship: Temple University’s #YouAreWelcomeHere scholarship offers $20,000 per year
⚡ Immigration Corner Deep Dive: Student-athletes can earn money through NIL…but for international student athletes…it’s complicated. I break down two legal arguments schools are using to navigate it.
Read…and take a moment to unplug.
Carrie at International Student Voice ⭐
Best Links for International Students
📰 TOP 3 HEADLINES FROM THE WEEK
🏃♂️ Viral Chicago runner from Brazil may be forced to leave U.S.
A Brazilian doctoral student who went viral for running nearly every street in Chicago has the internet reaching for tissues after a recent Instagram post about possibly having to return home. Joabe Barbosa, a clinical psychology PhD student, was unable to secure a required internship for his final year. Without that placement, he cannot maintain his F-1 status, forcing him to return to Brazil within 60 days despite being on track to finish his degree. The situation highlights a bigger issue: limited internship spots, many of which are not even available to international students. If this newsletter somehow reaches him, Joabe, go talk to your DSO! All hope may not be lost. (WBEZ Chicago)
🌍 Iranian students divided as war with U.S. sparks global reactions
Iranian students in the U.S. continue showing sharply divided reactions to the ongoing war between the U.S. and Iran. For example, at Iowa State, some student groups have publicly supported U.S. military action, even organizing demonstrations calling for regime change in Iran. At the same time, reporting from Iran International highlights a very different reality, with many people inside Iran and across the diaspora expressing fear, exhaustion, and growing distrust as the conflict escalates. Civilian casualties, infrastructure damage, and internet restrictions are shaping how the war is experienced on the ground. For Iranian students abroad, this creates a difficult tension between political views, personal identity, and concern for family back home. Global conflicts are no longer distant—they are personal, immediate, and often deeply polarizing.
🏫 Faculty share: “Our university agreed to cooperate with ICE – and we worry that it is making our students feel less safe”
As covered in previous newsletters, a growing number of Florida universities are partnering with ICE, allowing campus police to assist with immigration enforcement. This article offers a perspective from faculty at Florida International University (FIU), who say yes… these agreements make many international and immigrant students feel unsafe—even without any enforcement actions on campus. The authors explain that these partnerships allow campus police to question individuals about their immigration status and, in some cases, detain them for federal authorities. They worry this expands the role of campus police beyond student safety and into immigration enforcement, which can erode trust. At the same time, they emphasize the need for more open dialogue on campus, encouraging conversations between students, faculty, and administrators. (The Conversation)
🎓 FEATURED SCHOLARSHIP RESOURCE
Temple University’s #YouAreWelcomeHere scholarship
Each year, Temple’s #YouAreWelcomeHere scholarship program selects two first-year international students to receive an annual, renewable scholarship of $20,000. The program is designed to make a U.S. education more accessible while recognizing students who demonstrate leadership and a commitment to cross-cultural exchange. In addition to financial support, recipients are expected to complete projects that promote global understanding on campus. (Temple University)
🔍 INTERESTING FIND
🤖 Colleges bring back oral exams because of AI
Some colleges are reintroducing oral exams as a way to respond to the rise of AI tools like ChatGPT. Instead of traditional written assignments, students are being asked to explain their thinking out loud in real time, making it much harder to rely on AI-generated answers. Faculty say these assessments help them better evaluate a student’s actual understanding, communication skills, and ability to think on the spot. Just do what I would do in class...don’t make eye contact. It’s like…they can’t see you. (AP)
News in 1 Sentence
Big Tech H-1B filings dropped sharply, as companies like Amazon, Google, Meta, and Microsoft scale back hiring amid layoffs, rising costs, and increased scrutiny of visa applications.
After Minnesota’s ICE surge, enforcement has shifted toward less visible but ongoing operations that continue to impact immigrant communities.
Student visa holders say fear and uncertainty are rising, with some reporting they carry documents at all times due to concerns about enforcement.
A Zimbabwean student at Idaho State faces an uncertain future as shifting immigration policies put their ability to stay in the U.S. at risk.
International students contributed nearly 100,000 workers in Michigan, especially in STEM fields, highlighting their economic impact.
DEEP DIVE: IMMIGRATION CORNER 🛂
Getting Paid as an International Student Athlete:
Why It’s Complicated
U.S. college sports can feel like their own universe…packed arenas, school pride, and games that become national events. And if you've been following basketball lately, you probably noticed the biggest one of them all: March Madness just wrapped up.
To add even more to the uniqueness of college sports in the U.S., college athletes can get paid for their personal brands.
That’s usually referred to as NIL (name, image, likeness). And for many student-athletes, it's opened the door to real income while they're still in school.
But for international student-athletes, though, it's not so simple.
The New Era of NIL
Since 2021, college athletes in the U.S. have been allowed to earn money through NIL.
In simple terms: NIL means student-athletes can get paid for the value of their identity and influence.
What NIL can include
NIL deals can take many forms, including:
Sponsorships and brand partnerships
Social media promotions
Merchandise
Paid appearances
For many U.S. student-athletes, NIL has become a major opportunity. Some athletes earn thousands or even millions of dollars while still enrolled.
Why NIL is complicated for international student-athletes
Here's where immigration rules enter the conversation.
Most international students on F-1 visas already know the basics:
You're generally limited to working up to 20 hours per week on campus during the academic year
Off-campus work usually requires specific authorization (like CPT or OPT)
Getting paid outside those rules can create serious immigration consequences
NIL income looks like income, but F-1 rules restrict employment.
And right now, U.S. immigration authorities have not provided clear, consistent guidance on how NIL fits into those rules for international student-athletes.
That uncertainty is what makes this situation risky.
Two legal viewpoints: royalties vs. employment
I was reading this article from Front Office Sports about how some international college basketball players are still receiving NIL-related payments, and it laid out two competing ways attorneys think about the issue:
Viewpoint 1: Treat NIL as royalties (a workaround)
To reduce risk, some schools and attorneys try to structure NIL deals as royalties.
The logic:
Royalties can be treated as passive income (generally allowed)
Employment is active work
So instead of saying an athlete is being paid to play basketball, the contract may be written to say the athlete is being paid passively for the use of their name, image, and likeness.
How these deals are often structured to support the royalties approach, NIL contracts may:
Avoid performance-based incentives
Focus on licensing/brand usage rights
Emphasize identity and publicity rights, not on-court results
Supporters argue this is a practical solution, and it's already being used in major programs.
Viewpoint 2: NIL is still work, no matter what you call it
Other attorneys disagree strongly.
Their argument is simple: even if a contract uses the word royalties, the athlete is still being paid because they are an athlete.
And if immigration authorities decide to look more closely, the student could face serious consequences.
In other words: one side focuses on contract structure, the other focuses on the real-world activity.
So…who’s right?
Well…we don’t know yet. As I said, U.S. immigration authorities have not provided clear, consistent guidance on how NIL fits into rules for international students.
NIL changed college sports fast. Immigration policy hasn't caught up.
If you're navigating NIL as an international student (or advising someone who is), I would love to hear your perspective. Reply and tell me what you're seeing on your campus.
In the meantime, this just adds another layer to the complexity and uniqueness of being an international student in the U.S.
Learn more about college athletics in the United States from this previous article I wrote about an international student-athlete who received a full-ride scholarship.
SHARE THE KNOWLEDGE!
Disclaimer: International Student Voice is not an immigration attorney or immigration advisor. The purpose of this newsletter is strictly educational. Always consult with qualified legal counsel for advice specific to your situation.
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