APA is concerned about the impacts on international psychology students, particularly those working toward a doctoral degree, of the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) 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. This measure would put fixed limits on the length of stay for international students.
Restricting the length of time during which students must complete their studies will hurt training, scholarship, research, and America’s academic standing throughout the world. Furthermore, this action could have troubling implications for the field of psychology as a whole, as well as more broadly for the U.S. economy and our national security. APA believes that DHS’s reasoning for this proposed change is flawed, as international student visas are one of the most highly regulated of any visa category and incidences of "unlawful presence” are rare. APA is engaging with coalition partners in higher education, the health professions, and the scientific community to submit comments to DHS expressing opposition to the rule and why finalizing it would be misguided. The public comment period closes on Oct. 26, 2020.
For more information, contact Kenneth Polishchuk.