January 22, 2026: This Week in International Student News

If you're anywhere from Texas to the Northeast, you've probably heard: a major winter storm is heading our way this weekend.

We're talking heavy snow, dangerous ice, and wind chills that could hit 40-50 below zero in some areas. More than 70 million people are under winter storm watches.

So...read this newsletter now while you still have power and internet, then go stock up on food, batteries, and anything else you'll need if you're stuck inside (or without power) for a few days.

Here's what I'm covering this week:

📰 Top Headlines: Mixed court rulings create uncertainty for student activists, a wrongfully deported Babson student may get a second chance, and industry voices warn that protecting OPT is critical for keeping America competitive.

💰 Scholarship Spotlight: Looking for substantial financial aid? I'm highlighting 20 U.S. colleges that awarded an average of nearly $84,500 to international students—with one school topping $90,000.

🔍 Interesting Find: An F-1 graduate shares how he beat the 90-day deportation deadline after being laid off, landing his dream role at T-Mobile through strategic networking and relentless preparation.

⚡ Deep Dive – Immigration Corner: USAFacts did it again—breaking down the employment-based green card timeline with crystal-clear data. If you're hoping to follow the F-1 → H-1B → green card → citizen path, you need to understand why your timeline could be 13 years...or 20+, depending on where you're from.

Stay safe out there!

Carrie at International Student Voice ⭐info@istudentvoice.com

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📰 TOP 3 HEADLINES FROM THE WEEK

🪪 Mixed Messages: Student Activist Faces Deportation Again While Judge Seeks Protections for Academics

A federal appeals court ruled on January 15 that Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia University graduate student and pro-Palestinian protest leader, could again face arrest and deportation after overturning a lower court order that had freed him from custody. Khalil holds a green card and is married to an American citizen. On the same day, Federal District Judge William G. Young proposed restricting the Trump administration's ability to deport noncitizen members of two major academic organizations—the American Association of University Professors and the Middle East Studies Association. Judge Young called the administration's efforts an "unconstitutional conspiracy" to intimidate academics, proposing that any deportation attempts against members of these groups would be presumed retaliation for protected speech unless the government could prove otherwise. The dual rulings highlight the ongoing legal battle over First Amendment protections for foreign students and scholars involved in campus activism. (U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit) (The New York Times)

🇭🇳 Judge Recommends Student Visa for Babson Freshman Wrongfully Deported to Honduras

Federal Judge Richard Stearns recommended on January 17 that the State Department grant a student visa to Any Lucia Lopez Belloza, a 19-year-old Babson College freshman who was mistakenly deported to Honduras in November despite a court order forbidding her removal. Lopez Belloza was detained at Logan Airport on November 20 while boarding a flight to surprise her family in Texas for Thanksgiving and was deported two days later—even after a federal court ordered she remain in the U.S. The government acknowledged the deportation was a "tragic" bureaucratic mistake, with prosecutors saying an ICE agent misread the court order, believing it didn't apply because Lopez Belloza had already been transferred to Texas. Judge Stearns called the situation "bureaucracy gone wrong" and gave the government 21 days to respond to his student visa recommendation, though he appeared to rule out holding officials in contempt. Lopez Belloza, who entered the U.S. at the age of 8 and is attending Babson on a full scholarship, is currently staying with her grandparents in Honduras and taking classes remotely while her case is pending. (Inside Higher Ed)

🇺🇸 Protecting OPT Is Essential for U.S. Competitiveness

According to recent research, Optional Practical Training (OPT) has shifted from a "nice-to-have bonus" to a non-negotiable requirement for most international students when choosing where to study. Shorelight, an international student enrollment and support services organization, argues that as uncertainty around OPT grows amid political and regulatory scrutiny, protecting the program is essential for both higher education and America's economic health. International graduates, particularly in STEM fields, fill critical skills gaps by driving research and innovation in key industries. Meanwhile, countries like Canada, the UK, and Australia are aggressively expanding work authorization programs, with recent U.S. enrollment declines suggesting America is already losing market share. (Shorelight)

🎓 FEATURED SCHOLARSHIP

U.S. Colleges That Give the Most Aid to International Students

U.S. News recently identified 20 colleges that awarded an average of nearly $84,500 in financial aid to international undergraduate students during the 2024-2025 academic year. Wesleyan University in Connecticut topped the list at $90,106 per student, followed by Williams College ($88,446) and Duke University ($88,274). All 20 schools on the list are private institutions, with 16 ranking in the top 20 of their respective U.S. News categories. While these private schools' tuition ranges from about $66,000 to $74,500, their substantial aid packages can significantly reduce actual costs. (U.S. News & World Report)

🔍 INTERESTING FIND

📅 Racing Against the Clock: How One F-1 Graduate Beat the 90-Day Deadline

Aman Goyal, a 26-year-old from India, was laid off just six months into his AI product manager role—triggering the harsh reality of being on OPT: find a new job within 90 days or leave the U.S. Despite a brutal tech job market marked by widespread layoffs and uncertainty around proposed H-1B salary rules, Goyal landed his dream role as an agentic AI product manager at T-Mobile within 60 days. His strategy? He hunted down the hiring manager's email using a free tool (Hunter.io) after a traditional referral didn't pan out, invested $50 in a product management interview prep book that gave him access to a 20,000-member Slack community where he completed dozens of mock interviews with senior PMs from Microsoft, Amazon, and Google, and focused on how he delivered answers—not just what he said. His biggest takeaway for job seekers: networking still works, but it's about finding creative ways to connect directly with recruiters and hiring managers, not just relying on traditional referrals. (Business Insider)

News in 1 Sentence

Shark Tank investor Kevin O'Leary called reducing foreign student access to U.S. institutions an "insane idea," arguing that if America doesn't educate international students, China will.

Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown and 20 other attorneys general filed an amicus brief urging a federal appeals court to uphold a preliminary injunction blocking President Trump's proclamation that banned international students from entering the U.S. if they planned to attend Harvard.

An opinion piece questions whether the U.S. really needs 600,000 Chinese students, sparking debate about the economic and strategic implications of international student enrollment from China.

Three Republican senators urged the Trump administration to end a special visa waiver program that allows Chinese nationals to visit Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands (U.S. territories) for up to 14 days without a visa, arguing the program has enabled "birth tourism"—where expectant mothers travel to give birth on U.S. soil so their children automatically receive American citizenship.

A Penn student columnist reflects on international homesickness as more than just longing—describing it as "ethical costs" where growth means inevitably letting go of close relationships and support systems back home.

Forty students from Saudi Arabia enrolled at Spartan College of Aeronautics and Technology in Tulsa to complete a two-year aviation maintenance technician program, after which they'll return to Saudi Arabia to work for Saudia Technic as part of the country's Vision 2030 initiative.

DEEP DIVE: IMMIGRATION CORNER 🛂

Understanding Employment-Based Green Card Timelines: Why Some Wait Years While Others Wait Decades

I've said it before, I'm saying it again. I'm a huge fan of USAFacts!

They possess an incredible ability to break down complex government processes into clear visuals and straightforward data.

They did it again with their recent article on how long it takes to become a U.S. citizen, and I want to highlight one section that's particularly important for international students: the employment-based path to permanent residency (green card) and eventually, U.S. citizen.

If you're hoping to follow this path: F-1 student --> H-1B --> employer-sponsored green card --> U.S. citizen...

You MUST read on!

The Three Employment-Based Green Card Categories

Employment-based green cards account for about 16.7% of all green cards issued, though roughly half of those go to spouses and children rather than the workers themselves.

These visas are divided into three preference categories:

• First Preference (EB-1): Individuals with extraordinary ability, outstanding professors and researchers, or multinational executives and managers. The big advantage here? No labor certification required, and in some cases, you can self-petition (I interviewed a student who self-petitioned).

• Second Preference (EB-2): Professionals with advanced degrees (master's or PhD) or exceptional ability in their field. Most applicants need a PERM labor certification from their employer, but there's an important exception: the National Interest Waiver (NIW), which allows you to self-petition without employer sponsorship.

• Third Preference (EB-3): Skilled workers, professionals with bachelor's degrees, and other workers. These applicants typically require PERM labor certification.

Why Your Country of Citizenship Changes Everything

Here's where things get complicated—and where USAFacts' visual really drives the point home.

U.S. immigration law caps the total number of employment-based immigrant visas issued each year. On top of that, there's a per-country limit: no more than 7% of available visas can go to applicants from any single country.

When demand from a particular country far exceeds that 7% cap, applicants get placed in a queue. And that queue can be extraordinarily long.

The USAFacts article shares a striking example: Indian professionals who applied for Second Preference (EB-2) employment visas in 2013—when Barack Obama was beginning his second presidential term—are only now becoming eligible for green cards in 2025.

That's a 12-year wait just for a visa number to become available, before they can even move forward with the green card application itself!

The Timeline Reality: 13 Years vs. 20+ Years

According to USAFacts' data based on FY 2025 processing conditions, many employment-based applicants can achieve citizenship in under 13 years. But for Indian nationals applying under the Second Preference category, that timeline stretches beyond 20 years.

The graphic in the USAFacts article shows this disparity visually—the same goal, the same preference category, but vastly different timelines based solely on country of citizenship.

For applicants from most countries, their applications move forward relatively quickly once approved. For applicants from India and China, the years-long wait for a visa number is the longest part of the entire process.

Read the Full USAFacts Article

I've only covered the employment-based path here, but the USAFacts article also breaks down family-based sponsorship, humanitarian paths, and the naturalization process once you have a green card. The visuals showing how different pathways and countries experience wildly different timelines are worth seeing.

Check out the full article here: How long can it take to become a U.S. citizen?

Understanding these timelines helps you make informed decisions about your future and interpret immigration headlines more accurately.

When someone talks about "employment-based green cards," now you know there's no single timeline—just a complex system where the same goal takes vastly different amounts of time depending on preference category and nationality.

Related Article: How to Receive a USA Green Card Without Employer Sponsorship: National Interest Waiver

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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.