The Trump administration loosened visa rules for foreign students

The Trump administration has issued a final warning that it plans to impose tougher rules on foreign students, including a ban on foreign students from staying in the US for more than four years unless they have permission from the federal government.

The ability to switch and transfer programs between universities and colleges is also limited. Until now, higher education institutions had the authority to grant visa extensions.

The policy, which will take effect in September, will “combat rampant visa abuse and strengthen national security through routine vetting,” according to the Department of Homeland Security.

The International Union of Teachers has described the new rules as “wrong and unnecessary”.

Previously, foreign students on F-1 visas and J-1 exchange visas entered the U.S. on a “status stay,” meaning they could stay in the country for as long as it took to complete their degree. The new rules put a time limit on that stay.

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said, “For decades, foreign students who have entered the United States indefinitely have abused our immigration system by the thousands, enrolling in permanent courses to avoid deportation.”

While most US undergraduate programs are typically four years, graduate programs such as doctorates take much longer to complete.

Most international students are enrolled in postgraduate courses, particularly in science and technology fields.

Those courses typically require more time to complete and publish research. Financial constraints for research and personal circumstances can often extend the study period.

Under the new law, foreign students also now have 30 days to withdraw or switch to another visa category after graduation – up from the previous 60-day grace period.

NAFSA: The Association of International Teachers, which advises schools on the enrollment of foreign students, criticized the new rules.

Chief executive Fanta Au said the new policy “injects uncertainty, bureaucracy and fear into a system that has long been ineffective, a problem in search of a solution”.

The new rules are part of a broader approach by the Trump administration to reduce the number of foreign students and limit immigration to the US.

The administration has tried to curb the number of foreign students at some elite colleges and has moved to revoke visas for students critical of US foreign policy.