WASHINGTON, DC – Today, the Department of Homeland Security published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) seeking to restrict the period of stay allowed for international students. While international student visas are currently valid for the duration of their studies, the Trump Administration’s proposed rule would limit their stay to four years. It would also limit visas for students from certain African and Asian countries to a two-year validity period.
FWD.us President Todd Schulte issued the following statement on the proposed rule:
“This proposal is another attempt by the Trump Administration to slash legal immigration by making the process more restrictive, expensive, unpredictable, and burdensome for international students, particularly those from African and Asian countries. It weaponizes a flawed, dishonest interpretation of data about visa overstays to impose more bureaucratic red tape on an already-broken immigration system, while providing no benefit to U.S. citizens.
“Making it more difficult for international students to study here – and for recent graduates of American universities to contribute their skills to the U.S. economy – undermines our leadership as a preeminent destination for higher education. This is yet another example of how the Trump Administration is willing to gut America’s global competitiveness while putting the safety and economic well-being of our country at risk in an effort to restrict legal immigration.”