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When Razieh got married and moved to the U.S. from Iran in 2011, she didn’t think a planned trip home to visit family would become a source of tension and uncertainty. Then President Donald Trump was elected and initiated an effort to institute a ban on travel from a group of countries that included her native Iran.

鈥淲e canceled the whole trip,鈥� said Razieh, a 29-year-old permanent U.S. resident who is pursuing a master’s degree in architecture at Portland State University. (She asked that the 91视频 use only her first name.) 鈥淚t is a stressful situation.鈥�

As the fight over the Trump administration’s effort to restrict travel from certain countries takes place in courtrooms across the country, some business professionals are beginning to question whether their companies’ sources for future architects and engineers will become limited.

鈥淲e have the same concerns about the impact on the ability to hire future engineers,鈥� Kittelson & Associates Chief Financial Officer Larry Van Dyke said. 鈥淎t this point we haven’t seen much impact in the talent pool we are hiring from. We are concerned about future.鈥�

Some people in the architecture industry are already beginning to be affected by the proposed restrictions.

鈥淲e have to do a lot more documentation than in the past for foreign candidates,鈥� said Ruth Lloyd, director of human resources at Ankrom Moisan Architects. 鈥淭hose trying to come from the banned countries on H-1B visas have been denied.鈥�

For Ankrom Moisan, the impact on recruitment has also been financial, Lloyd said.

鈥淚t is just costly on attorneys’ fees,鈥� she said. 鈥淚f we had a talented person that was a student, we would have to say, 鈥業s this worth it?’

鈥淲e have trouble with all recruiting. This makes finding the talent and bringing people in tougher.鈥�

Ankrom Moisan, with three offices on the West Coast, is big enough that it can at least weigh whether hiring a foreign national is a feasible option. For smaller architecture or engineering firms, the added cost makes the decision for them.

鈥淚t is tough to bring in foreign nationals,鈥� said Brian Knight, a principal at WRK Engineers in Vancouver, Wash. 鈥淲e have been approached by some really good candidates. It is just cost-prohibitive.鈥�

The biggest immediate impact is on the students these firms will need to hire one day. For students like Razieh, anxiety about the future trumps a missed vacation. The latest version of the Trump administration’s travel ban has been blocked by district courts in Hawaii and Maryland. Nevertheless, there is fear about what will happen in the future.

鈥淚 am a student; I cannot predict what is going to happen,鈥� Razieh said. 鈥淭here could be a new travel ban overnight.鈥�

It’s not an unreasonable fear, according to university officials who advise students to avoid foreign travel. The first travel ban was enacted over a weekend with virtually no notice and little preparation. It triggered protests at airports and headaches for foreign nationals trying to enter to U.S.

The situation has even caused concerns among employees who need to travel to international locations to complete projects, Van Dyke said.

鈥淥ur folks that are on H-1B (visas) have been able to travel,鈥� he said. 鈥淭here is a more detailed level of screening, but we have been able to make it through that.鈥�

The travel ban has already navigated a long and winding road, which has only increased the uncertainty. The first attempt was halted by a federal court, leading to two submissions of revised versions; they have been unsuccessful so far.

Adding to the confusion is the fact that the Supreme Court issued a ruling regarding a previous version of the ban that allows the government to block travelers who did not have an existing relationship with people or organizations in the U.S. The government and courts are still debating what defines a relationship.

鈥淚t’s on, then it’s off, then it’s on,鈥� said Dennis Galvan, vice provost for international affairs and professor of political science and international studies at the University of Oregon. 鈥淎 piece of the immigration ban is the uncertainty it breeds.鈥�

That uncertainty is already hurting student enrollments. The final tally isn’t in at the University of Oregon, but Galvan said it expects to register a 10 to 20 percent drop in new foreign students.

Portland State University has seen a similar decline in applications from foreign students. Overall, PSU saw a 16 percent decline in its number of foreign students. International graduate students are down 12 percent. One of the biggest declines was a 23 percent drop in students from Iran.

鈥淔or those countries (on the list subject to the ban) the numbers are fairly small, with the exception of Iran,鈥� said Margaret Everett, interim provost and vice president for academic affairs at PSU. 鈥淭here are many factors that affect enrollment, so the direct impact is hard to determine, but that (ban) is part of what is happening.鈥�

Over the long term, the restrictions could impact the quality of education provided in the U.S. for future architects and engineers.

鈥淚t can be faculty, staff or students,鈥� said Abe Schafermeyer, director of international student and scholar services at the University of Oregon. 鈥淚f someone is interested in inviting a scholar to come and present, the ban could limit people from coming.鈥�

Combine those factors with American education costs, and institutions in other countries begin to look more attractive. While U.S. universities are experiencing a drop in foreign enrollment, those in Canada are seeing a 25 percent jump.

鈥淓ducation is one of the U.S.’ unparalleled exports,鈥� Galvan said. 鈥淭hey can go other places if you close the door to U.S. education.鈥�

Nevertheless, Razieh said her experience at PSU has been worth enduring additional challenges.

鈥淐oming to America was the greatest opportunity in my life,鈥� she said. 鈥淭he environment here is just amazing for me.鈥�

U.S. companies hope that attitude keeps students coming here in the long term. Losing those students at a time when the country has a severe shortage of them in technical fields could really hurt businesses that need talent.

鈥淚f you are embarking on an engineering career, would you still choose the U.S.?鈥� Van Dyke asked. 鈥淭here has been a lot of hand-wringing. Right now it hasn’t impacted us much. Three or four years down the road, will I still be saying that? Who knows? At this point, it’s the calm before the storm.鈥�