Regarding the recent DHS Policy Change for International Student Visas
On Friday, September 25th, the Department of Homeland Security announced a major change in policy regarding international student visas, attempting to restrict the length of time for which such student visas remain valid.
As we understand, a brief summary of the new rules the DHS is working to put in place is that:
F-1 visas will now be limited to 4 years, with possibility of a renewal if conditions are met;
For the following people, the limit is 2 years: natives OR citizens of countries considered “State Sponsors of Terrorism”; countries with >10% visa overstay; students in an unaccredited school; students in a school that doesn’t use E-verify.
Conditions of renewal seem to encompass
It is unclear whether simply having a valid I-20 will be enough to get a visa renewal (which is currently the status quo).
Our understanding is that the new rules would essentially make visa renewal necessary and uncertain for anyone staying more than four years in the US (two years for those born in the countries designated by the DHS). However, we members of the GEO are not lawyers, and are unsure how these proposed changes might take effect. We are graduate workers on this campus, just like yourselves.
Here is the document outlining the proposed changes, and click here for a recent summary from Inside Higher ed.
We, the UIUC GEO, find this xenophobic targeting of international students and graduate workers unconscionable and stand with our international members, colleagues, and students across the country against DHS. The stated rationale for this policy change is to combat terrorism in the US, claiming “The Department accordingly is concerned about the integrity of the programs and a potential for increased risk to national security.” despite the presence of international students (and people overstaying their visa) having nothing to do with terrorism on US soil. In particular, the targeting of natives of “States Sponsors of Terrorism” flies in the face of every value found in American academia, where we should not be defined by our place of birth. We reject these nonsensical and pretextual claims. This policy is rooted in the same xenophobic desire as the ICE-SEVP policy change from earlier this summer, once again by the US administration, and the GEO plans to oppose it just as strongly. DHS might think that international students are a burden on the academic system, and an easy target for political posturing; but we know they are an essential part of our university and this country’s academic system, and that an attack on international students is also an attack on education itself. We support the ISSS communication condemning these changes, but this is only the first step on what could be a long path. We will not be able to do this without your help. If you are interested in joining the International Students Working Group (ISWG) to learn more about how we can exercise our collective power, contact officer1@uigeo.org or the main email geo@uigeo.org.
ISSS Q & A Session:
Please join International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS) for a Question and Answer Session for University of Illinois’ Staff and Faculty regarding the recent proposed changes to the Code of Federal Regulations that would eliminate the unique ‘Duration of Status’ admissions given to F-1 and J-1 visa holders. The University of Illinois System plans to communicate with our students via email regarding the proposed changes, but we understand there may be a need to discuss some of the points with faculty and staff as well. We look forward to answering any questions you may have.
Date: Thursday, October 1
Time: 14:00-15:00 CT
Zoom link: https://illinois.zoom.us/j/89134920189?pwd=MTlmNEFsNHdySitha2t0Qms3UEk5dz09
Meeting ID: 891 3492 0189
Password: 117127
Target Audience: Faculty and Staff Only*
This meeting requires users to log into zoom from an authenticated Illinois zoom account
*Since graduate students are also employees, we count as Faculty and Staff.
In Solidarity,
Graduate Employees’ Organization
809 S. 5th St., Geneva Room
Champaign, IL 61820
Email: geo@uigeo.org