N.C. Schools That Rely on International Teachers Brace for Visa Changes 

Martin Dee Migue had been teaching high school chemistry in the Philippines, where he was born and raised, for five years when he first considered moving to the United States in 2021. 

His friend encouraged him to apply for a J-1 visa, a cultural exchange program that allows international students and teachers to stay in the U.S. for up to five years. Migue was soon on a 9,000-mile journey to rural southeastern North Carolina for his new job teaching science at East Columbus Jr./Sr. High School. 

Migue, who was accustomed to big-city life in Manila, struggled at first to settle into a slower pace. It was the first time he was away from his family, and he felt isolated. He thought several times about quitting. But he made friends in his neighborhood and connected with his colleagues and students. He was named the school’s Emerging Educator of the Year in 2024.

When his visa expires in June, Migue plans to go home to the Philippines for at least two years. But he had hoped to come back to the U.S. after that to continue teaching here on another type of visa, an H-1B, which would create a path to becoming a permanent resident. Leaving would complicate that plan, after the Trump administration announced last September it was increasing the fee for H-1B visas to $100,000. 

“It worries me, the chance that I won’t be able to come back,” said Migue, 33. “I’ve tried my best to honor my visa and job as best as I can. I’ve fallen in love with the community here. I’m sad to leave this.” 

Only teachers applying for an H-1B visa for the first time would be affected. People already in the U.S. who are attempting to move from a J-1 to an H-1B would not be subject to the fee, but that process has also become significantly harder, said Trey DeBrine, an attorney at Sivaraman Immigration Law in Carrboro. More of those applications have been delayed or denied, he said, and while it used to be fairly easy to get a waiver to stay in the U.S. during the transition period between the two visas, that’s no longer the case. (And while it’s technically possible to move from a J-1 to a green card, he said, it’s less common and more difficult.)

“It was so approvable that we would tell teachers, if they wanted us to take the case, we can, but they shouldn’t waste their money,” he said. “They should just do it themselves because it was that much of a success rate.”

International teachers make up a small fraction of North Carolina’s 90,000 public school educators. But advocates say they fill a crucial role, particularly in rural districts plagued by teacher shortages. In 2025, 213 H-1B visas were approved for K-12 educators in North Carolina—more for any other state in the nation except Texas, according to the National Education Association. 

Many more international teachers in the state—nearly 3,700—have J-1 visas, according to 2024 data from the N.C. Department of Public Instruction. But education leaders say they worry the visa changes will deter foreign-born teachers from considering the U.S., which could leave schools scrambling. 

“We are continuing to make the process harder for our international educators to come to North Carolina and other states across the nation,” said Tamika Walker Kelly, president of the North Carolina Association of Educators. “We continuously have vacancies that we can’t fill, either by growing and recruiting educators here and within our state, or trying to recruit educators from out of state. But now we have the limitation of how we can recruit qualified educators from different countries.” 

A Band-Aid On the Problem

H-1B visas are also used in professions like technology and health care to attract qualified workers from abroad. Trump has said the new fee will prevent abuse of the program and encourage employers to hire American workers instead. 

North Carolina is among 20 states that sued the Trump administration over the visa changes in December, arguing that the Department of Homeland Security can’t increase the fee without reason. The higher cost will hobble crucial research, lead to shortages in hospitals, and force schools to increase class sizes, the lawsuit argues. But a federal judge ruled several weeks later that the administration had not overstepped its authority. 

Employers typically pay the fees associated with H-1B visas, which for teachers used to cost between $5,000 and $12,000, DeBrine said. Legal fees can add thousands more to the bill. He said a $100,000 fee is “exorbitant.” Trump’s proposed new fee is currently slated to last a year, and it’s unclear whether that would be extended in the future, he said.

“Not a single school district can pay that,” he said. 

Last year, the government approved 42 H-1B visas for Wayne County Public Schools, more than any other district in the state. Halifax County Schools brought in 16 new hires, and Nash County Public Schools got 13, according to the National Education Association. 

But in Halifax, international teachers are now the majority of educators in the district—109 out of 156 teachers across 11 schools. A total of 75 have H-1B status, while the rest are here on J-1 visas. 

Rural districts have long struggled to recruit, hire, and retain educators. North Carolina ranks 43rd in the nation for teacher pay, according to the National Education Association; between the low salaries, the rise of school shootings, the cost of college education and credentialing, and the general stress of the job, it’s gotten harder to fill vacancies.

“Districts can’t compete for teachers when all of our neighboring states have higher salaries,” said Heather Koons, director of communications and research at the nonprofit Public Schools First NC. “This problem is made worse in low-wealth areas where local governments don’t have the funds to provide teacher salary supplements to bolster the persistently low state salaries. The new fee on international visas will be devastating.” 

Carolyn Mitchell, director of human resources for Halifax County Schools, said many local graduates who do go into education end up leaving the county for opportunities elsewhere.

“We may have tried to find a Band-Aid to find educators, but we are in an era where people just don’t think about teaching the way they used to,” said Mitchell. “When I came in, you could see them almost a mile down the road, hanging around buildings trying to get into education because it was a secure job. Now you don’t have anything to entice anybody.” 

International teachers have been a salve in Halifax, which has a population of just 27,384. It’s become increasingly difficult to find local teachers with the appropriate credentials that international hires already come with.

A majority of the district’s students are minorities or speak Spanish at home, and so it’s seen as a plus to bring in teachers from diverse cultures and create opportunities to learn about what’s outside of the U.S. The district hopes to have educators able to teach Spanish at all of its schools, which is a harder qualification to find amongst their American-born applicants. 

The H1-B program has been especially attractive because teachers can stay in the U.S. for a longer period of time and have the possibility of then obtaining a green card, meaning they can deepen their relationship with the school and students. 

“It is so much less of a disruption, and kinder to our students,” Mitchell said. “It is good for the school system and it’s good for the community. The parents know them, the children know them. It is a very positive thing where we can get that to happen.”

Covering a $100,000 fee for each first-time H-1B visa application, however, is simply not an option. There’s also the looming threat of further changes to international teacher programs under Trump, leading the district to wonder if they will have to stop pursuing new H-1B hires. 

Mitchell said her office has been having daily conversations with international teachers concerned they might not be able to stay here for much longer. Many have been hesitant to travel outside of the U.S., fearing they might face complications in coming back, and are now trying to expedite their green card applications if they are eligible. 

Mitchell said the district typically worked with international teachers in the three to four months before their visas were set to expire to plan next steps, but they now start six months early due to the uncertainties. The district has also started paying an extra $2,800 in legal costs to expedite certain applications, hoping they can assist teachers and secure their statuses before anything else changes. 

“Before you know it, the next new law comes down, and so the teachers are afraid,” she said. “They really are afraid. It is very frustrating not knowing from day to day what may happen next.” 

Becoming Part of the Family

Some districts, including the state’s largest, say they prefer to hire international teachers with J-1 visas sponsored by third-party organizations such as Educational Partners International (EPI) and Global Teaching Partners, two North Carolina-based organizations that help connect teachers abroad with U.S. school districts looking to increase diversity or fill vacancies.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools has nearly 300 teachers working on J-1 visas, who “fill vacancies with certified teachers who are content area experts,” said spokesperson Tom Miner. Many of them teach high school math, English, science, elementary school, and exceptional children classes. 

The Cumberland County school district has 526 international teachers, more than any other in the state, according to the N.C. Department of Public Instruction. All of them are here on J-1 visas, said Ruben Reyes, the district’s associate superintendent of human resources.

“H-1B programs are often about staffing,” Reyes said. “Our focus has been more on global education. The exchange program fits that a little better than the H-1B visa program does.” 

Robeson County’s public schools have 150 international teachers working on J-1 visas, according to the state. Nearly 40 work with the multilingual learner program, and many arrived through EPI, said lead teacher Sandra Lopez Greenfield.

Migue worked with EPI to secure his job in Columbus County. Like many international teachers, Migue has an advanced degree. After completing his undergraduate studies at the Philippine Normal University, he earned a master’s of science in teaching with a major in chemistry from De La Salle University in Manila. 

Migue could still apply to transfer his J-1 visa to an H-1B visa, and his employers offered to help. But he has his heart set on returning to the Philippines for a bit to reconnect with family and loved ones. Now that means he might be subject to the $100,000 fee. 

“I would have to start all the way from the beginning,” he said. “And I don’t know what the situation is going to look like when it’s time for that.”

But he does know that schools like his in Columbus County need teachers like him.

“A lot of local American teachers are leaving schools because they don’t feel like they earn enough,” he said. “We’re helping to fill the gaps. We’re not taking jobs from locals.” 

For now, Migue is weighing his options. He might consider teaching in Canada instead.

CityView Reporter Dasia Williams contributed to this report.