Senior officials at the Department of Homeland Security are floating a proposal that would require foreign students to reapply for permission to stay in the United States every year, a controversial move that would create new costs and paperwork for thousands of visa holders from China, India and other nations, according to two federal officials with direct knowledge of the discussions.
Officials caution that the plan is in the preliminary stages and would require regulatory changes that could take a minimum of 18 months. The plan may also require agreement from the State Department, which issues visas. The officials say the proposal seeks to enhance national security by more closely monitoring the students.
The discussions are emerging at a time when foreign student enrollment has reached a historic high in the United States and is injecting billions of dollars into the economy, according to the Institute of International Education (IIE), a New York nonprofit group.
Read more at The Washington Post: https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/overseas-students-would-face-close-scrutiny-under-proposal-floated-at-dhs/2017/07/10/393b5cc0-6282-11e7-a4f7-af34fc1d9d39_story.html