Ricketts: It’s Time to Allow International Student-Athletes to Benefit from NIL

October 18, 2023

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Pete Ricketts (R-NE) highlighted the need to pass hisName, Image, and Likeness for International Collegiate Student-Athletes Act, which he introduced yesterday. Ricketts made the comments on a conference call with Nebraska media.

“The student visa needs to be updated to reflect the new NIL rules in collegiate athletics,” Ricketts said. “International student-athletes should be able to pursue the same opportunities as their fellow athletes, from hosting summer camps for kids to appearing at events. Our common-sense bill will level the playing field to ensure American sports programs don’t lose talented student-athletes because of our outdated visa system.”

The bipartisan bill is supported by the Athletic Directors at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the University of Nebraska-Omaha, and Creighton University. More information on the bill can be found here.

Watch the video HERE.

TRANSCRIPT:

Senator Ricketts: “Yesterday, I introduced the Name, Image, and Likeness for International Collegiate Athletes Act.

“This is a bipartisan bill that would allow international student-athletes to access name, image, and likeness opportunities at the college level.

“Since 2021, collegiate student-athletes have been able to earn money based on their name, image, and likeness – called NIL.

“However, international student-athletes have been largely prohibited from realizing those gains due to their student visa status.

“International student athletes represent about 12% of Division I athletes.

“Currently, a lot of these students are on what. you call an F-1 visa. It’s commonly referred to as a student visa. It has strict conditions and restrictions for employment that don’t accommodate NIL agreements.

“International student-athletes who violate the terms of their visa might face severe consequences.For example, the government can terminate the player’s visa status and withhold benefits like green cards in the future.

“This bill I introduced with Democrat Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, creates a sub-category within the F-1 visa status. It would be narrowly tailored for international student-athletes who want to pursue NIL opportunities. It would also allow designated school officials to provide oversight to make sure the athletes are making progress on their studies as well.

“Part-time jobs are staples of the collegiate experience.

“The student visa needs to be updated to reflect the new NIL rules in collegiate athletics.

“International student-athletes should be able to pursue the same opportunities as their fellow athletes, from hosting summer camps for kids to appearing at events.

“Our common-sense bill will level the playing field to ensure American sports programs don’t lose talented student-athletes because of our outdated visa system.”