iNDICA NEWS BUREAU-
Dominate the streets. That’s what the Trump administration wants to be portrayed in the minds of the people.
The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is in the process of making the US visa more rigid for international students.
The Trump administration wants to have tighter control over who should be in the country and who shouldn’t. They want to replace a more liberal stance on students visa, with a rigid ‘maximum period of authorized stay’.
With this rule, there will be a clear indication of when the students must leave the US, but they will be given an option to reapply for the visa, seeking an extension of the authorized tenure.
The DHS has submitted for review to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) its proposed rule titled – ‘Establishing a fixed time period of admission and extension of stay procedure for non-immigrant academic students exchange visitors and representatives of foreign information media.’
The current norms are more flexible. It is referred to as admission for ‘duration of status’ where international students can stay in the US, as long as they are engaged in the activity for which the visa was issued, rather than being admitted until the specific departure date.
A proposal to replace this norm was announced in the 2018 fall agenda of the Trump administration, which is a bi-annual action plan of the government. As the administration claims, the main objective is to bring clarity and reduce the overstay rate.
While the details of the new process are not yet revealed, many immigration attorneys say that the change is likely to impose additional financial burden for students who would need to apply for an extension should they wish to go in for higher studies or optional practical training.
This process would be a strenuous ordeal and is time-consuming. This could be very discouraging and also a deterrence for international students.
