Trump administration planning to limit how long foreign students can study in US, says Politico

The Department of Homeland Security said Wednesday it intends to publish a proposed rule that would limit the length of time foreign students are allowed to stay in the United States, Politico writes.

Since 1978, foreign students, or F visa holders, could stay in the U.S. for their “duration of status,” meaning as long as they were enrolled as a full-time student. The proposed rule set to publish Thursday would allow for foreign students and exchange visitors to stay up to the duration of the program they are participating in, not to exceed a 4-year period.

DHS officials said the rule is to correct a system in which foreign students have “taken advantage of U.S. generosity” by becoming “forever students.”

“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 amounts of taxpayer dollars, and disadvantaging U.S. citizens,” a DHS spokesperson said in a statement. “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 history.”

If finalized, the rule would require foreign students to be regularly assessed by DHS to remain in the U.S. for a longer period.

Advocates who represent foreign students, said this rule will create uncertainty for these students and leave them with more bureaucratic hurdles to clear.

There are also serious financial implications for colleges if fewer foreign students enroll, because they typically pay more tuition and receive less scholarship support.