Duration of Status Rule Moves Toward Finish Line

The final rule on the Department of Homeland Security’s Duration of Status proposal has been completed and sent to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs.

The draft Duration of Status proposal released last summer proposed to eliminate the current open-ended international student visa timeframe that lasts for the duration of the student’s educational program to a fixed amount of time of four years plus 30 days. NAICU joined others in the higher education community in submitting comments to DHS citing the many reasons such a limit would be both unfair and unworkable for students, particularly those enrolled in graduate and medical programs.

This is the last step before a final rule is published in the Federal Register. At the moment, it is unclear when the final regulations will be published, nor how closely they will align with last summer’s draft proposal.

For more information, please contact:
Karin Johns