College Athletes’ Status as Employees Puts Student Visas at Risk

Growing momentum toward classification of college athletes as employees of their schools is raising major questions about international students’ continued visa eligibility.

A National Labor Relations Board regional director earlier this month determined for the first time that college athletes can be deemed employees under the National Labor Relations Act. That decision so far is limited to Dartmouth College’s men’s basketball team, but immigration attorneys say the case signals a broader shift that calls for action from both Congress and the immigration agencies.

“It’s a sign of what’s to come,” said Ksenia Maiorova, a partner at Green and Spiegel ...