APA submitted public comments to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) opposing a proposed rule which would limit the length of time international students and scholars can remain in the United States while studying or conducting research(PDF, 430KB). If finalized, the proposed rule—“Establishing a Fixed Time Period of Admission and an Extension of Stay Procedure for Nonimmigrant Academic Students, Exchange Visitors, and Representatives of Foreign Information Media,” DHS Docket No. ICEB-2019-0006—would change the current duration of status, which allows international students to remain in the United States for the entire duration of enrollment in an institution of higher education, to a fixed, four- or two-year term, with a complicated extension of status process. APA believes that DHS’s reasoning for this proposed change is flawed.
APA’s comments highlight the impact this proposal will have on U.S. scholarship, cultural exchange, economic competitiveness, and the nation’s health care. Specifically, the comments underscore concerns about placing limits on length of study for doctoral psychology students, researchers, and trainees, and what the implications of that would be for social and behavioral research, as well as meeting the growing demands for mental health services, particularly resulting from COVID-19. APA urged DHS to withdraw the proposed rule.
For more information, contact Kenneth Polishchuk.