Proposed visa-duration rule withdrawn by Department of Homeland Security

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has withdrawn a proposal by the previous administration that would have limited the duration of F and J visas for international students and scholars in the United States.

Stanford had strongly opposed the visa-duration proposal and submitted a formal comment letter asking that it be withdrawn.

Rather than allowing visa holders to remain in the United States for the full length of their academic program, the proposal would have set a fixed time period of four years, or two years in some cases, with an application required to be considered for an extension.

“We applaud the decision to withdraw this proposal,” said Stanford President Marc Tessier-Lavigne. “To continue to draw the best and brightest students and scholars to the United States, we must be able to commit that they will be able to remain here to complete the study they came here to undertake. Withdrawing this proposal supports the aspirations of promising students and scholars from around the world, as well the scientific leadership and economic competitiveness of the United States.”