Reflections on the NAFSA IE Competencies: Compliance Management

Editor’s note: This article is one in a new series for 2023 that explores one of the 12 International Education Professional Competencies 2.0 in each issue of International Educator. Each written by a NAFSA member, the articles cover how that competency is critical to the future of the field and what it looks like in practice. 

As NAFSA celebrates its 75th anniversary and looks toward the next 75 years, compliance management will remain a critical competency for international education professionals. As an educator with a positive outlook, I hope that the field will enjoy smooth sailing, allowing us more time to create meaningful support programs for international students at U.S. schools.

However, the roller coaster experience of the past few years has demonstrated the vulnerability of the field and the importance of adaptation. It has taught me skills and lessons for compliance management that I would have not otherwise have gained and that the field should draw from as it moves forward.

1. Know internal and external regulations.

While we may think that immigration regulations are the most important policies related to compliance management, we must also know and follow the academic rules and regulations at our institutions. For example, every student in a degree program may have the option of taking a semester or two off, based on their institution’s policies. However, international students who choose to take a retroactive leave after the semester begins will lose immigration status from the first day of the semester. Often, we