What's next after the election?

[cloudyword]

I am not sure if it's proper to ask here, but I am a bit worried about it:

If Donald Trump is elected President (quite certain now), how would his presidency affect graduate application, especially for international students? Times Higher Education has this article (https://www.timeshighereducation.com/news/donald-trump-us-president-what-it-means-higher-education) coming out, touching upon student loans, tuition fees, and other policies. What else? Would American institutions less likely to admit foreign students due to policies or budget cuts? Would it be more difficult to get student visas? Or, would it be more likely to stifle international students regarding job opportunities in the U.S. during and after our study?

 

Edited November 9, 2016 by cloudyword

[fuzzylogician]

I don't think anyone can answer these questions. There may be effects on public education funding that would affect how many students can be admitted to PhD programs. There may be changes to how student visas are issued. There may be more constraints on work visas. Everything is on the table right now, and no one knows. This obviously doesn't make anyone feel any better about the situation, but that's where it stands right now. I don't think anyone here can make you any promises about whether you'll be able to get a work visa after you graduate, just like no one can guarantee you what the job market will look like more generally. It's unfortunate, but that's the reality we are living in right now.  

[DBear]

I'm concerned as well, but I also know that changing immigration laws and policies will take time. What I'm more concerned about is what the atmosphere will be like after I'm done with my phd (which I hope to start next year). 

I went to the U.S. to get my MA in 2006, and when I finished in 2008, Lehman Brothers started that whole global economic crisis. I stayed in the U.S. for a year on an OPT visa, interning and looking for a full-time job but with the economy being so bad, no one wanted to put the extra time, effort, and money into hiring someone they'd need to get an H1B visa for. I got so far as a verbal offer which ended up being retracted because the person couldn't sway HR. So even without restrictions on visas and changes to policy, there are other bad things that can impact life as a foreigner in the U.S. That being said, the likelihood of something good happening unexpectedly is the same as something bad happening (I hope) so... if studying in the U.S. is really something you want to do, I'd say not to be deterred..