<\/p>\n
International students make up almost 10% of the student body.<\/p>\n
Jose Gonzalez-Campelo\/The Cougar<\/p>\n
For the past few months, international students at University of Houston<\/a>\u2014almost 10% of the student body\u2014have been at the mercy of seemingly\u00a0constant policy changes<\/a>. As of August, students with F-1 visas can only participate in Curricular Practical Training, or internships only if practical training is required of all students enrolled in a program to earn the degree.\u00a0<\/p>\n Optional or elective internships and experiences no longer qualify for CPT authorization.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n The Department of Homeland Security also introduced a new rule limiting international students to four years of study, a change to the previous Duration of Status policy with major implications for doctoral students whose programs often go longer than a standard undergraduate degree plan. The rule came into effect today, Sept. 15.\u00a0<\/p>\n However, at the time of reporting, the rule was yet to take effect.<\/p>\n Challenging to stay<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s getting harder and harder every day to be able to stay in the country because of the strict policies,\u201d said industrial engineering sophomore A.B., who asked to be referred only by her initials. \u201cIt\u2019s going to end up with people suffering.\u201d<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n A.B. is an international student from Turkey<\/a> on UH\u2019s swim team. While she\u2019s grateful for the opportunity to simultaneously pursue her sport and a rigorous academic track, recent national policies have been hard to stomach.<\/p>\n In fact, she had to reconsider her own plans: in June, the National Collegiate Athletic Association issued new eligibility rules, allowing qualified Division I student-athletes up to five years of eligibility.\u00a0<\/p>\n But even if A.B. wanted to do so, the overhaul of Duration of Status means that she wouldn\u2019t be able to pursue her degree for an extra year without going through a separate application process.<\/p>\n \u201cI might want to swim for five years, but if I choose to do that and I don\u2019t get an extension after my four years, I won\u2019t be able to continue to swim and I will have no degree,\u201d A.B. said. \u201cThat\u2019s just useless.\u201d<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Supply chain management senior Sania Ameen moved to the U.S. with her family from India in 2019.\u00a0<\/p>\n Long-term changes<\/p>\n Ameen is scared that her visa status might be impacted, so much so that her goal is to enter the field of immigration law.<\/p>\n \u201cMy visa could be affected at any point and that worries me the most,\u201d Ameen said. \u201cWe\u2019ve seen cases where international students just get picked up by the immigration officers and get detained<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n In a request for a statement, the University<\/a> advised that international students reach out to the International Student and Scholar Services Office with any questions.<\/p>\n \u201cWe recognize that changes to federal immigration regulations may create uncertainty and questions for members of our international community,\u201d said a University spokesperson. \u201cSupporting international students remains a priority at UH, and our International Student and Scholar Services Office is prepared to help students understand and navigate evolving federal requirements.\u201d<\/p>\n But according to Ameen, ISSSO isn\u2019t always helpful.\u00a0<\/p>\n Once, she wasn\u2019t contacted or made aware that her I-20 form, which is a Certificate of Eligibility for Nonimmigrant Student Status, has expired. Though the issue was resolved quickly, Ameen isn\u2019t fully putting her trust in ISSSO.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Communication issues<\/p>\n \u201cThey have communication issues,\u201d Ameen said. \u201cBeing on top of students is their job and I feel like it\u2019s not always what they do.\u201d<\/p>\n Ultimately, it is a combination of unpredictable national policy and administrative shortcomings at UH that is weighing on international students.<\/p>\n In January, the Department of State suspended visa issuance, either fully or partially, for 38 countries.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Supply chain management sophomore Jose, who asked to be referred to by his first name only, has always been passionate about geopolitics. Now more than ever, it has become a needed skill.<\/p>\n \u201cI am always aware of the news around immigration, and due to how inexplicable and sudden this administration can be, me and my family know we have to be on our toes for any news,\u201d Jose said.\u00a0<\/p>\n However, despite these circumstances, mentally, socially and educationally, Jose said his experience in college so far has been good<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Stay informed, and entertained.<\/p>\n By signing up, you agree to our Terms Of Use<\/a> and acknowledge that your information will be used as described in our Privacy Policy<\/a>.<\/p>\n His three American roommates have become good friends. He works at the Recreation Center. Though he is perpetually vigilant and a bit cynical about his future job prospects, he said coming to the States for his education was worth it.<\/p>\n \u201cThe U.S. at least gives you a chance for success, which in my country I really do not have,\u201d Jose said. \u201cHowever, it is still something that needs to be heavily thought out by the student and the family, because it is not an easy decision.\u201d<\/p>\n Editor’s Note: This story first appeared in The Cougar, the University of Houston’s student newspaper. It has been published by Chron through a partnership with the university’s student newspaper. The program helps further disseminate important on-campus news and gives incoming journalists an opportunity to gain professional experience before graduation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"International students make up almost 10% of the student body. Jose Gonzalez-Campelo\/The Cougar For the past few months,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":442831,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[109735,1836,88494,1704,56,58,57],"class_list":["post-442830","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-houston","tag-chron-college","tag-chronnews","tag-chronpolitics","tag-chronstaff","tag-houston","tag-houston-headlines","tag-houston-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/442830","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=442830"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/442830\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/442831"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=442830"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=442830"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=442830"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}<\/p>\n
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