US tightens regulations on how long international students are allowed to stay abroad

New students at the opening ceremony at Minerva University (USA) in September. This is also a school affected by the new regulation.

PHOTO: MINERVA UNIVERSITY

The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced at the end of August some new updates on when international students are allowed to stay in the US to work after graduation under the Optional Practical Training (OPT) program, especially in the STEM field, and regulations related to student visas. The new regulations take effect immediately from the time of announcement and apply to all international students in the US, USCIS emphasized.

In particular, the agency said that international students with F-1 visas are only allowed to study abroad for a maximum of five months, instead of being allowed to go abroad for as long as they want, as long as they are still enrolled in a school or other educational institution in the US as before. If they do not comply, international students must re-submit a new Form I-20 to be readmitted as international students, USCIS said, but did not give a reason for the tightening of the regulations.

This means that international students will now have to consider more carefully if they want to participate in student exchange programs, study abroad in other countries... organized by the school or return home to study remotely. In the case of participating in programs lasting less than 5 months, international students when re-entering the US only need to present the existing Form I-20 or an updated Form I-20 (if changing majors, changing schools or studying at a higher level) along with a valid visa, USCIS instructed.

The agency added that if an F-1 student leaves the US for more than five months and is unable to continue enrolling at the school, they will have to reapply for admission to continue their training program in the US, which also includes the step of re-issuing a new Form I-20. "The time the student spends abroad will still count towards the OPT period and the maximum total unemployment period allowed for an F-1 student," USCIS added.

"Many US universities offer study abroad programs longer than five months. However, international students will now be limited in taking advantage of these great opportunities," Mike Magee, President of Minerva University (USA), told The PIE News . "This is a move to clarify current US government regulations and we believe the negative impact on students is an unintended consequence."

Mr. Magee added that while the new law is not malicious, it will cause difficulties for international students. Applying for an extension of study beyond 5 months is seemingly easy but is difficult, almost impossible. Therefore, the parties involved are hoping that the US government will reconsider this regulation, or at least give international students studying abroad more time to adjust their plans, instead of applying it suddenly without prior notice as it is now.

According to Mr. Magee, the new regulation affects the plans of many international students, especially those who are about to graduate and have planned to study and work based on the old regulations. Minerva University is also in trouble because of this regulation, because the school has a special curriculum that requires students to rotate through many countries around the world. Now the school has to bring 150 students from Europe to the US to avoid losing their visas.

Under the new policy, these students will have to stay in the US for a full academic year before returning to study abroad. And the university warned that the new policy will shrink the international leadership pool, hinder global education partnerships and hinder the diversity of international students. "We have reached out to a number of current and former US senators and members of Congress," Magee added.

According to statistics from the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), in 2023, there were 31,310 Vietnamese studying in the US, ranking 6th in the number of international students. This is also the first time the number of Vietnamese students in the US has reached more than 30,000 after 2 years below 30,000. However, if considering the number of international students in high schools alone, Vietnam ranked 5th with 3,187 people, behind China, South Korea, Mexico, and Spain.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/my-siet-quy-dinh-ve-thoi-gian-du-hoc-sinh-duoc-phep-o-lai-nuoc-ngoai-185241002102832016.htm