Throughout Trump’s campaign, we have heard the tales of tightening up immigration and deporting illegals from the US. These promises of the removal of many citizens that have lived in the country for many years have caused many students and potential students to fear what may happen to them if they went to the US, or whether they would even get a study permit.

Surprisingly, a Trump presidency might be favorable for international students and students in general. In his tweets, Trump has said that if a person is an international graduate from an elite college at the top of his class and wants to stay in US to work, then they should not be thrown out of the country.

In another tweet, Trump also said that the US needed more talented engineers and workers. So, all in all, most students should be safe when it comes to the Trump presidency as there could actually be more support for students who want to study in the US. However, the problem that students might face does not relate to getting into a college, but to what comes after that – finding a job in the country.

(Read also: Brexit: What would this mean for the youth?)

To understand the crux of this problem, we must first know the types of visa that are given out to students and workers. The first is the J-1 visa, which allows foreign exchange students to live, work and study in the US for the duration of their program. In a Trump presidency, this visa type would be discarded and the funds would be put into a program for inner-city youth in the US. This is to do with workers on this type of visa having certain minimum wage conditions that mean that a company can hire them cheaply. The idea of cheap, outsourced labor is a fundamental part of Trump’s immigration position. He wants to focus more on giving American citizens jobs rather than an unregulated market of exchange students that are there to be taken advantage of. As of right now, it is quite unclear what a Trump win could mean for exchange students going to the US, and it mostly depends on opinion, but what we know for sure is that if his proposed law is passed, there will be fewer exchange students taking a semester in the country.

The outsourcing of low-income work to other countries where the minimum wage is much lower, like India or Malaysia, is also a fundamental to explaining the next, and probably most important factor for student exchanges to the US: the H-1B visa. In simplest terms, this is the work permit that allows people from other countries to work in the US, and this mostly effects STEM jobs (jobs that require a science, technology, engineering or math-related degree). Statistics show that 80 percent of workers are hired from outside the country and are given the lowest possible wage, while there is a large amount of native Americans and immigrants unable to get jobs because of this outsourcing. Under a Trump presidency, more of these jobs would be given to native Americans and immigrants already living/studying in the US. This is good news for any student that would like to study computer science and work in places such as Silicon Valley, because if you manage to go through the proper channels and get into a US university, not only you are more likely to get a job when you graduate and be a step closer to citizenship, you will also have a higher minimum wage.

(Read also: Tips for staying safe while traveling overseas this summer)

In general, a Trump presidency seems more beneficial toward students when it comes to the job department, but we must also keep in mind that no matter what, American citizens will always be prioritized. An international student might have better credentials but an American citizen will be prioritized.

The issue of green cards must also be mentioned. Even if an international student has a job for many years, there is no guarantee of citizenship; there is no exact data on how much stricter the guidelines for getting a green card in the US could be under a Trump presidency, but it would be tougher for sure.

 

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Kenneth is a 17-year-old high school student who loves comic books, Dota 2, movies, political science and history. He is currently living in Jakarta and working toward his IB diploma. You can reach him at @kenneth2098 on Twitter.
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