How Student Visa Changes Impact SCAD Graduating International Film Students
Alejandra Torres Galindo had a plan. She was going to film her capstone film in her home country, Colombia, over the summer of 2025 and be back in time for SCAD’s fall quarter that September.
She left the U.S. May 30, but was in Colombia until December 2025—SCAD’s fall quarter ends in November. Galindo completely missed one quarter of school, pushing back her graduation day, while wrestling against recent student visa policy changes.
“For too long, past administrations have allowed foreign students and other visa holders to remain in the U.S. virtually indefinitely, posing safety risks, costing untold amount of taxpayer dollars, and disadvantaging U.S. citizens,” states an August press release from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
Trump’s proposed rule aims to end that “abuse” and will further limit the amount of time certain visa holders are allowed to remain in the U.S., to ease “the burden on the federal government.”
In August 2025, the Trump administration proposed a new rule to end “foreign student visa abuse.” These new policy changes force student visa holders to adjust their senior-year and post-college career goals, causing extra stress and anxiety as they finish their degrees.
Galindo came to the U.S. through the Fulbright program that promotes international educational exchanges. In June 2025, unbeknownst to Galindo, the Trump administration moved to cut funding for the Fulbright program, beginning with freezing it altogether.
As a result, when it came time for Galindo to finish post-production for her capstone and start her last fall quarter at SCAD, she was told she could not return and would need to file a new DS-2029 or J-1 visa. A J-1 visa is for individuals approved to participate in work-and-study-based exchange visitor programs in the U.S., such as Galindo, who is pursuing her master's in film.
“I used to go to Colombia all the time, the first couple of years in school,” Galindo said. “Now, I’m not leaving until I get my diploma.”
From June to December 2025, Galindo communicated with her student advisers and professors, trying to sort out her visa situation, while working on the biggest project of her academic career. She was able to return for SCAD’s winter quarter in January 2026. As she sat with the whole experience, she said, “It cost me my mental health. It changed all my plans.”
Daniela Múnera, also from Colombia, finished her SCAD capstone film in November 2025 and has been trying to find employment before her Optional Practical Training visa (OPT) year ends.
“Finding other jobs is really hard, like every time I got into the final interview, they were like, 'Oh, you’re an international student, we can’t give you a job,” Múnera said. She plans to keep searching until her OPT visa expires in January 2027, then either return to Colombia or pursue a master's degree, maybe in California.
Students like Faris Shaharel have to reconsider their original post-graduation plans to fit not their career and creative goals but visa requirements. “After graduation, I was gonna try my best to start as a film director and start directing films and move forward that way,” Shaharel said. “But I’ve realized that’s not gonna work out because of my visa status.”
One year on the OPT visa isn’t enough time, Shaharel said, nor does it give him the freedom to take the short-term jobs he would need to establish himself in the film industry. Shaharel’s plan now is to try to get a job at a marketing agency or work in other film-related sectors in Atlanta until he’s in a better position to give his directing dream a real shot. He’s also considering a master's program—though maybe not in the U.S.
Even in the best circumstances, it's challenging to make the transition from college to the professional world. This is especially true in an industry like film, and in 2026, when the film industry has undergone changes as a result of streaming services, the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike, the changes in Georgia’s tax incentives, and now conversations about how AI may change the industry.
International film students like Galindo, already navigating industry changes because of AI advances and potential corporate mergers, among other factors, now face the added challenge of navigating immigration policies beyond their control.
Galindo, Shaharel and Múnera all said they came to the U.S. to learn about the film industry and bring back what they learned to their home countries. As Shaharel said, he came to “learn the ins and outs from an industry, and then eventually make my way back to help the Malaysian film industry actually grow.”
