Provost Erik Luijten released a statement Friday addressing changes in federal immigration policy announced by the Department of Homeland Security last week.
Expected to take effect Sept. 15, the Trump administration’s final rule establishes a fixed time period for admission to the U.S. rather than the existing “duration of status” rule.
The “duration of status” rule allowed international students to stay through the completion of their full academic or exchange program, whereas the new rule’s fixed time period does not, Luijten wrote.
Many academic or exchange programs last longer than the newly-established time period, requiring requests for extensions from the federal government instead of just from NU’s Office of International Student and Scholar Services. Beyond the fixed time period, the new rule includes updated guidelines, such as limiting changes to educational objectives.
These changes will “affect not only international students and scholars but also the administrative support and academic operations of universities where F and J visa holders conduct their studies, research and work,” Luijten wrote.
In response, NU has assembled a cross-unit team to begin collecting information from official sources, internal stakeholders, peers and partner organizations, Luijten wrote. OISS has also created a webpage to offer an explanation of the rule and answer questions related to NU’s international community.
In a message to international students Friday morning, OISS Director Sara Thurston wrote that OISS is awaiting guidance from several government agencies and departments, including DHS, Citizenship and Immigration Services, Customs and Border Protection, Student and Exchange Visitor Program and the Department of State.
OISS encourages students and scholars with F-1 or J-1 status to consider implications related to travel, suggesting students currently outside the country return before Sept. 15 and encouraging students with international travel plans to consider postponing them.
Thurston wrote that students on Optional Practical Training or planning to apply for a STEM extension should read the rule’s provisions if they plan to enter the country before Sept. 15 and remain under “duration of status.” Students on academic training that still have time remaining but who haven’t yet been authorized will need an extension of stay, she wrote.
The Office of the Provost will communicate updates to specific schools and units as needed, and Luijten encouraged community members to regularly monitor the office’s “Responding to Federal Policies” website for updates.
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