By David Lazzara
As the new school year unravels, Dominican University is making clear that all international and ELS students are welcome amid changes in the Trump administration’s immigration policy.
This is not the first time that ELS and international students have had some initial anxiety about an upcoming school year. It was only five years ago when the COVID-19 pandemic shut down all ELS classes and the prospect of international students coming to Dominican University.
Katherine Wright, the Center Director of the ELS Chicago Location, said, “We have been reopened here for about two and a half years, and are beginning to feel settled.”
Dominican has welcomed ELS students here ever since their partnership started in 1991, and has no plans to change this, even with new policies by the Trump Administration. ELS runs many programs but specializes in having students “be academic in English and to prepare you for a U.S. or English-speaking university,” said Wright.
Students under the ELS program have a variety of options, for example, when they can start taking classes and for how long. This differs from the international students who apply directly to Dominican. “It depends on their English proficiency when they come in … they might only be with us for four or five months and be college-ready,” said Wright.
It also means that ELS itself issues I-20s for its students and helps them with the visa process. If the student is a full-time student, they will need an F-1 Visa just like any other international student who is full-time and not on an exchange program.
However, the differences start to come in when looking at part-time students who come for a short amount of time on a tourist visa. “You can stay up to three or four months on a tourist visa, but you can only study part-time because the assumption is you are a tourist, not a full-time student,” said Wright.
For international students at Dominican, this process differs as Dominican itself issues the I-20 and then helps with visas. They have two options in the way of visas, which are J1 and F1. Director of International Enrollment Nereida Encina said, “An F1 is a student visa, J1s are student visas, but those are here on a shorter term. They are not necessarily here looking for a full degree. An F1 student visa are looking for either a whole associate’s degree, a whole bachelor’s degree, or graduate degree.”
When talking about visas, it is also important to consider the status and the duration of it. “There are specific regulations that they need to follow, and they always need to be in full-time status,” said Encina.
Sue Ponrémy, an International Student Adviser, explained that after the student has entered the US and is enrolled, “status matters more” than the visa or its expiry. Status is what determines whether a student is here legally or not, not the visa itself. A visa can expire, but if the status is not terminated, the person is still here legally.
Extensive media coverage on visas, rather than the status itself, has caused more anxiety for returning and new international students. Ponrémy pointed out that she hears “news stories talk about visas,” when the visa is not what matters when determining legality, but instead, it is the status of an international student.
Most policy changes by the Trump administration have not affected the number of students admitted to Dominican University or the ELS plan. Ponrémy had described the trend of students she had over the last couple of semesters as being “steady,” and that, “At this time, no Dominican students have been impacted by federal changes.”
However, on the application side, it is not so clear-cut. It often depends on where the international student is from and whether their country has been affected by recent executive orders from the Trump Administration. For some applicants, “It is me having a conversation with them. Through a virtual meeting, discussing what the process is like for them right now, and getting admission to a university in the United States,” said Encina. “Sometimes, I do have to say to them that it might be better for them to seek opportunities in the U.K., Australia, or Canada.”
Looking forward to the future, much of the work has not changed for ELS or International Student Services. They are both continuing forward with bringing opportunities and welcoming international students, while still actively looking for any further policy changes.
dlazzara@my.dom.edu
