[UPDATE] New DHS Proposal Would End Duration of Status - What it Means for Higher Ed.

Dear Matt,

Well, the day arrived at long last: on August 28, the Department of Homeland Security proposed rule to end duration of status (D/S) for F, J, and I nonimmigrants was published in the Federal Register. The sprawling document is still being analyzed by NAFSA staff but some immediate takeaways are clear. And none of them are good. As Dr. Fanta Aw said in a press statement, “shifting from a ‘duration of status’ policy to a fixed expiration date is a bad idea for an administration that prides itself on advancements in efficiencies and ‘America First.’“

The proposal also requires that USCIS approve changes to a student’s course of study and their level of study. In a departure from the 2020 proposed rule that attempted to end D/S, the proposal prohibits F-1 students at the graduate level from changing programs at any point. Dr. Aw calls these actions a dangerous overreach by government into academia that would act as an additional deterrent to international students choosing the United States to study.

Publication in the Federal Register officially starts the clock on the public comment period. We will be sharing resources soon to assist in the drafting of institutional comment letters and individual messages to Congress on this issue. To stay informed of NAFSA’s analysis of the rule, and learn more about our advocacy response, visit nafsa.org/dsproposal2025 and register for Tuesday’s Regulatory Perspectives online webinar. More to come! We will need your voice!

As I shared last week, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) continues to withhold FY25 funds from more than two dozen Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) programs, totaling roughly $100 million. Threatened programs include the IDEAS Program, the Mandela Washington Fellowship, and the Community College Initiative Program. As for Department of Education IE programs, the agency and OMB are also withholding FY25 funds for Title VI and Fulbright-Hays.

This is not ok. These funds have been approved by Congress. There is only a month left in the current fiscal year before we lose our leverage to push for their release. Urge your members of Congress to intervene to ensure that federal programs crucial to our nation’s security and global competitiveness are funded as Congress intended! See below.

WHAT YOU CAN DO

Urge your member of Congress to demand that international education programs at the Department of State and the Department of Education receive their FY25 funding as approved by Congress (note there are separate campaigns for each agency—be sure to click on both links!).
Register for the Regulatory Perspectives webinar on September 2 at 1 pm EDT for the latest on the DHS proposal to end D/S. A recording will be provided to registrants.

Yours in advocacy,

Best,

Erica

Erica Stewart

Senior Director, Advocacy & Strategic Communications

NAFSA: Association of International Educators