Visas
How Will the New Fixed-Date Admission Periods Affect International PhD Students and Researchers?
On July 17, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security published the long-anticipated final rule ending the Duration of Status (D/S) policy, which had been in place for more than 40 years and allowed international students and exchange visitors to remain in the United States until their studies concluded. The new rule replaces D/S with fixed-date admission periods.
A recent piece from Chemistry World explores the possible impact of the new policy on international PhD students and researchers at U.S. institutions. The piece argues that since many PhD programs take five or more years to complete, the new policy will place additional financial and administrative burdens on individuals in these programs by forcing them to either file formal extension of stay applications with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services or leave and reenter the country late in their programs to get updated arrival and departure dates from U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
