Trump admin to impose a limit on how long international students can stay in US
The Department of Homeland Security plans to limit the length an international student can stay in the United States, according to a Wednesday announcement .
A proposed rule limiting international student stays was published on Thursday.
The impact would be for people with F (academic student), J (exchange visitor) and I (representatives of foreign information media) visas. Previously, people with those visas could stay in the U.S. for the "duration of status" — meaning that a foreign student could stay as long as they were a full-time student.
The Trump administration has said foreign students have become "forever" students, perpetually enrolled in higher education courses to remain in the U.S.
Less than one in five international bachelor's degree recipients stays in the U.S. post-graduation and 41% of those with bachelor's, master's or doctoral degrees remain in the country long-term, according to an analysis by the Economic Innovation Group , a D.C. based bipartisan public policy organization.
DHS and the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education did not immediately respond to requests for additional data on "forever" students.
The proposed change would create a 4-year limit for international students and exchange visitors. And, if someone is a foreign media representative, the limit would be 240 days with the possibility of an extension.
President Donald Trump in 2020 proposed this rule, but it was withdrawn in 2021 by the Biden administration.
"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," said a DHS spokesperson. "This new proposed rule would end that abuse once and for all by limiting the amount of time certain visa holders are allowed to remain in the U.S., easing the burden on the federal government to properly oversee foreign students and their history."
People with these visa classifications could apply for authorization to extend their stay with the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services. In doing so, DHS would be able to require regular assessments to remain in the U.S.
The assessment would allow DHS to have "access to necessary information more accessible and reducing the number of individuals here on visas," DHS said in a press release.
The announcement comes after the Trump administration revoked dozens of international student visas before walking it back and attacked Harvard University's ability to host international students .
A federal judge ruled in the university's favor on two separate preliminary injunctions — allowing Harvard to host international students and rejecting the Trump administration's attempt to ban Harvard foreign students from entering the country to study .
More Higher Ed
Read the original article on MassLive .
