Brown University has advised international students and faculty to postpone travel plans amid ... [+] current uncertainty regarding immigration. Corbis via Getty Images Brown University has advised international students, visa holders, and permanent residents to reconsider travel plans due to potential changes in U.S. immigration policies. Executive Vice President for Planning and Policy Russell Carey warned in a recent campus-wide email that evolving federal policies could impact visa procedures, re-entry requirements, and travel restrictions, according to a news report. “Out of an abundance of caution, we encourage international students, staff, faculty and scholars—including U.S. visa holders and permanent residents (or “green card holders”)—to consider postponing or delaying personal travel outside the United States until more information is available from the U.S. Department of State,” Carey wrote. Caution prevails as potential travel bans loom Carey also encouraged students and faculty to evaluate domestic travel plans, noting that it remains unclear whether similar policy shifts could affect movement within the U.S. The guidance will stay in place until the university receives more information from the U.S. Department of State. The Trump administration is reportedly weighing the possibility of implementing a sweeping travel ban against 41 countries divided into three separate groups. The initial group of ten countries, which includes Afghanistan, Iran, Syria, Cuba and North Korea, and this tranche subject to a total visa suspension. While students from those countries do not make up a large percentage of the international student population at U.S. universities, the looming possibility has sent a chill through the higher education sector. In December last year, Cornell University, Wesleyan University and MIT were among the schools that urged international students and employees to return to campus from their winter break before Inauguration Day on January 20. Concerns that Trump could issue executive orders blocking them from returning to teh U.S. was the driver behind issuing the travel advisories. MORE FOR YOU FBI Warns Chrome, Safari And Edge Users—Do Not Use These Websites ‘The White Lotus’ Season 3 Has Turned Out To Be Bad Tesla Stock Slides Another 6% As More Firms Warn Of Musk-Led Company’s ‘Sales Woes’ This is not the first time Brown has issued a travel warning. In 2017, the university had similarly advised international students to return to campus before the presidential inauguration due to potential immigration policy changes. International student sentiment towards the U.S. has been positive International student sentiment towards the U.S. has been generally positive, according to two recent student surveys. That sentiment is likely reflected in the fact that the U.S. currently hosts a record-high 1.1 million international students, the most of any country. One survey conducted by edtech company Interstride which I helped produce, indicates that students surveyed in late January/mid-February found value in the academic quality of U.S. university programs and career opportunities in this country mostly via the Optional Practical Training (OPT) post-study work scheme. However, nearly half of Interstride survey respondents had a “Plan B” country in mind to study in should visa challenges arise, with the U.K. and Canada the most-cited alternative destinations. Another survey, conducted by IDP Education, found that up to February 12, most international students had adopted a more positive view of the U.S. since Trump’s election. However, there was variance among countries and only 27% of surveyed Chinese students viewed the U.S. more favorably. Concerns about Chinese student visas A group of Republicans have put forth legislation that could bar Chinese nationals from receiving visas that allow foreigners to travel to the U.S. to study or participate in exchange visitor programs. There are currently 277,398 Chinese students enrolled at U.S. colleges and universities, according to Open Doors data released by the Institute of International Education (IIE). Higher education institutions with high Chinese student enrollments are particularly sensitive to travel restrictions that would affect this student population. Universities with the highest international student enrollments are New York University, Northeastern University and Columbia University, according to the IIE. Follow me on Twitter or LinkedIn. Check out my website or some of my other work. Editorial StandardsForbes Accolades