Visa walls are sending international students to Asia and Europe instead of the U.S. and U.K., global survey finds

Visa walls are sending international students to Asia and Europe instead of the U.S. and U.K., global survey finds.

Tighter visa rules in the United States and Britain are redrawing the map of global higher education, pushing international students toward universities in Asia and continental Europe, according to a survey released Thursday by Studyportals, NAFSA: Association of International Educators and Oxford Test of English.

The Global Enrolment Benchmark Survey gathered responses from 437 universities in 63 countries on new international students for the August-to-October 2026 intake. Among 264 institutions in the 'Big Four' destinations of the U.S., U.K., Canada and Australia, 62% saw international enrolments fall. Across the 173 institutions elsewhere, the most common result was growth.

Britain was hit hardest at the graduate level: 79% of U.K. institutions reported fewer international postgraduates, up from 50% a year earlier, with an average decline of 19%. In the U.S., 59% reported falling postgraduate enrolments, averaging 13%, a third difficult autumn in a row, and U.S. schools were the most pessimistic about next year. Meanwhile 59% of Asian universities reported more international postgraduates, with an average rise of 7%.

Seventy-three percent of respondents who named the biggest drag on enrolments pointed to visas or government policy. Schools described a shortage of visa appointments, longer vetting and slower permits that pushed admitted students past start dates, turning them into deferrals and no-shows. One U.S. university said proposed fees on OPT, STEM OPT and H-1B visas were "cooling interest in study in the US." A U.K. respondent cited a "growth in visa refusals based on subjective credibility interviews."

The shift carries real costs for students from the Global South, who make up much of the international student population and now face higher barriers and fewer post-study work options in English-speaking countries. Canada, after two years of steep cuts, showed signs of stabilising after removing master's and PhD students from its study-permit cap, ICEF Monitor reported. Most surveyed universities said their main response will be diversifying into new recruitment markets.