The department has said<\/a> the change, which takes effect Sept. 15, is necessary to prevent \u201cforever students,\u201d who they allege manipulate the current system by enrolling in courses to avoid leaving the U.S. But immigration experts, academics, and advocates for students and postdocs warn the stricter policy will harm the nation\u2019s scientific standing by deterring internationals, who made up nearly a quarter<\/a> of life science Ph.D. graduates and 59%<\/a> of postdocs in 2023, from coming to the U.S. for training.<\/p>\n The average biomedical Ph.D. takes five to six years to complete, meaning a majority of incoming foreign graduate students would need to apply for DHS extensions to complete their work. And while the length of postdoctoral appointments is more variable than graduate training, National Science Foundation survey data<\/a> indicate that about a fifth of postdocs are likely to have worked in that role for more than six years.<\/p>\n \t\t\t \t\t\t\t \u201cThis rule puts the U.S. at risk of losing key individuals to global competitors,\u201d said Thomas Kimbis, CEO of the National Postdoctoral Association. \u201cWe need to make our environment attractive and competitive. This rule moves us in the wrong direction.\u201d<\/p>\n The duration of status policy, first implemented<\/a> in 1979, allows foreign students and scholars to remain in the U.S. as long as they are making progress toward completing their studies. When it debuted the policy, the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service said the approach would streamline international students\u2019 admission into the country, as they\u2019d no longer have to apply for annual extensions.\u00a0<\/p>\n But the Trump administration alleges this practice encourages fraud. In its publication<\/a> of the new visa restrictions, posted on the Federal Register, Homeland Security said it had identified more than 2,100 foreign students who entered the country between 2000 and 2010 and who were still listed as students in April 2025.<\/p>\n The agency did not answer questions from STAT about the new policy and the process for evaluating extension applications, instead forwarding an already-issued press release. \u201cFor nearly half a century, the outdated \u2018duration of status\u2019 system has compromised national security and created an environment ripe for immigration fraud,\u201d said DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin in the release.\u00a0<\/p>\n Elizabeth Goss, an immigration attorney in Boston, doesn\u2019t buy that claim. She points out that the federal government has closely monitored foreign students for more than 20 years through a database known as the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThese people are already the most regulated population of nonimmigrant visa holders in the country,\u201d she said. \u201cI just think it\u2019s an excuse to limit ultimately how many people are coming into the United States.\u201d<\/p>\n Goss isn\u2019t the only one with concerns. A draft version of the policy change posted last year garnered nearly 22,000 comments. The University of California system warned DHS that the department would be overwhelmed with extension applications, noting that one of its campuses estimated more than 4,500 students would need to apply for extensions each year.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe inevitable delays from this backlog, coupled with a complex and opaque adjudication process, will likely deter and delay the world\u2019s most talented international visitors from visiting or studying in the U.S.,\u201d wrote Katherine Newman, the UC system\u2019s executive vice president for academic affairs.\u00a0<\/p>\n \t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t\tHealth equity researchers fear unseen level of scrutiny under White House proposal<\/a><\/p>\n That prediction is consistent with survey results<\/a> from the nonprofit NAFSA: Association of International Educators. A poll of more than 1,000 students and postdocs last year found that nearly half would not have come to the U.S. under a fixed period of admission. Similarly, 67% of prospective students said they\u2019d be likely to enroll in U.S. programs if duration of status were in effect, compared with 57% if there were no guarantee they could remain in the country beyond four years.<\/p>\n While the Trump administration has expressed interest in reducing researchers\u2019 administrative burden<\/a>, this new policy will have the opposite effect, said Bastien Aymon, external affairs chair of Massachusetts Institute of Technology\u2019s Graduate Student Council. \u201cWe\u2019re already busy enough just focusing on science, and we don\u2019t particularly enjoy having to spend time worrying about submitting forms and then talking to, potentially, lawyers,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s obviously confusing and stressful.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Even before the rule change, there were signs international students might be shying away from the U.S. amid concerns over the current funding environment, visa fees, and travel bans<\/a>. A survey<\/a> by the Institute of International Education found that international graduate student enrollment dropped 12% last fall compared to the previous year, though a separate analysis<\/a> of DHS data suggested enrollment may be holding steady for now.\u00a0<\/p>\n In a recent report laying out the White House\u2019s vision<\/a> for the future of American science, Michael Kratsios<\/a>, director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, said the U.S. has become too dependent on foreign students.<\/p>\n \u201cThis reliance on foreign talent sidelines American students, a deep domestic talent pool that remains under-supported by its own government,\u201d he wrote<\/a>. That message concerns Andrew Read, Pennsylvania State University\u2019s senior vice president for research. Read says it won\u2019t be clear how burdensome the new DHS rule is until it takes effect, but he fears the move is yet another way the U.S. is making it difficult for international researchers to come and contribute to the nation\u2019s scientific enterprise.<\/p>\n \u201cWe want to support the best talent in the world. A lot of that talent stays in the U.S. and some of it goes home, and then you end up with fantastic friends in other countries at the cutting edge of science and technology,\u201d Read said. \u201cWe\u2019re concerned with anything that is jeopardizing that really important role that U.S. universities play for both America and for the world.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/AdobeStock_78076858-768x432.jpeg\")
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\n\t\t\t\tSTAT Plus: Federal health quality research grants worth $109 million ended early<\/a><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/AdobeStock_419260760_Editorial_Use_Only-768x432.jpeg\")
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\u201cAt the same time, we train extraordinary global talent at enormous expense, only to lose this effort when foreign governments recruit them to build up their own technological enterprises.\u201d<\/p>\n