Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the United States led globally in the number of international students it hosted. At the end of 2019, international students in the United States numbered 1,095,299, making up 5.5% of the total population of those pursuing higher education. Not only bringing a wealth of cultures, perspectives, languages, and knowledge, they contributed $44.7 billion in 2019 alone to the U.S. economy. For international students in the U.S., three main visa optio