Trump Plans to Make Life Even Harder for International Students

The Trump administration is putting limits on how long foreign students can stay in the U.S. on student visas.

The Department of Homeland Security on Thursday finalized a plan to cap student visas to a maximum of four years, regardless of whether the person’s studies are still continuing. Any more time would require students to apply for an extension.

The new rule, which is expected to go into effect September 15, changes long-standing policy that made student visas valid for however long an educational program lasted. This helped Ph.D. students, for example, whose programs typically last six years.

The new rule will also change what’s known as optional practical training, which allows foreign students to work in the U.S. for up to three years after they graduate. In addition, students will have less time to change schools, leave the country, or change their status after graduation, with that period being shortened to 30 days from 60.

In a statement, Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin said that foreign students would no longer be able to “abuse” the system.

“For nearly half a century, the outdated ‘duration of status’ system has compromised national security and created an environment ripe for immigration fraud,” Mullin said. “For decades, foreign students have been admitted into the U.S. indefinitely, allowing thousands to abuse our immigration system by perpetually enrolling in courses to avoid having to leave the U.S.”

Under the new rule, students could be denied an extension of their visa even after years of work on final projects, dissertations, and theses.

International student enrollment has already plummeted in President Trump’s second term thanks to new visa restrictions on many countries, harsh immigration enforcement, and the prosecution of foreign students who engage in political activity that the administration disagrees with, such as pro-Palestine advocacy. This in turn has led to a big drop in revenue for universities and colleges, which have had to cut programs, and has negatively impacted a major economic engine for the U.S.

International students are turning to universities in Asia and Europe as a result. American colleges and universities, once highly ranked internationally, are already starting to slide in global rankings, and this will make things worse. The Trump administration’s anti-immigrant xenophobia is hurting one of the country’s highest-regarded institutions and is bad for the economy. ...