Education curbs draw backlash

US President Donald Trump's administration has issued a rule capping how long international students may remain in the United States, drawing criticism from higher education professionals who warn it could hurt the economy and weaken the country's capacity for innovation.

The rule, which takes effect on Sept 15, ends the long-standing "duration of status" policy that allowed student visas to remain valid until students completed their studies, including a short period of post-graduation employment.

Under the new framework, most international students will be admitted for up to four years. Those needing more time to complete their degrees or to remain for post-graduation work must apply for an extension.

Richard Dasher, director of the US-Asia Technology Management Center at Stanford University, said the change has deepened uncertainty on campuses already grappling with tighter visa processing.

"It's difficult for students now, and it's harder to get a visa," Dasher said. "I talk to students a lot, and of course they're worried. It's more uncertain than it used to be, and it's an unfortunate situation, especially at the university level."

Universities "should be open" and serve as international forums for exchanging new ideas, he said. "The only way a university can be world-class is to engage with the world."

Higher education groups have opposed the change. A report released on Monday by the Peterson Institute for International Economics found that the rule could cut US economic output by as much as $400 billion a year, erode the country's innovation pipeline and push prospective students to universities elsewhere.

A sustained one-third decline in annual international student enrollment — which it called a conservative scenario — would cost the US $200 billion to $400 billion a year, or 0.7 to 1.3 percent of GDP, roughly equivalent to the entire economy of South Carolina.

The immediate effect would be a wider trade deficit because educating foreign students counts as an export and accounts for about 5 percent of US services exports, the report said.

The Trump administration argues the "duration of status" policy invites abuse. The Department of Homeland Security said the new rule is needed to stop "forever students" who stay in the country "by perpetually enrolling in courses".

Advocates have rejected that claim. "This action is unnecessary and duplicative," said Zuzana Wootson, deputy director of federal policy at the Presidents' Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration, a nonprofit organization.

"International students are already among the most closely monitored nonimmigrant populations in the US and are subject to rigorous oversight by DHS and academic institutions," she said.

The Peterson Institute report also questioned the evidence supporting the change. It said the policy cited 11 anonymous, unverifiable cases of international students allegedly abusing their visas since 2008, during which 7.1 million student visas were issued.

Since the Sept 11, 2001, attacks, the report noted, the US government has operated a sophisticated tracking system for student visa holders, enabling officials to identify those overstaying their visas or committing fraud in real time.

Slim evidence

The rule also cites 10,000 cases of potential fraud in the Optional Practical Training program, which allows some international students to work in their field of study. But the only supporting evidence is a link to a Politico article quoting a DHS official who said such fraud occurs, according to the report.

"A more likely reason is that the administration hopes to block international students from staying as part of an across-the-board policy of excluding lawful immigrants," the report said. "In fact, the administration has explicitly and repeatedly said it will use this authority for that purpose."

Dasher said the consequences would be especially severe in Silicon Valley, where the technology industry "depends on having the best people in the world come here".

Foreign graduates in science, technology, engineering and mathematics who remain in the US after graduation patent new inventions at four times the rate of typical college graduates and account for about 10 percent of all US patents, the Peterson Institute report said.

The rule is the latest in a series of measures targeting international students. Last year, sweeping terminations of students' legal status forced many into hiding or prompted them to leave the US for fear of detention.

Survey data suggest the cumulative effect may already be shaping decisions about where to study. A poll of more than 1,000 students and postdoctoral researchers, conducted last year by NAFSA: Association of International Educators, found that nearly half would not have come to the US for a fixed period of admission.

"At a time when global competition for talent is intensifying, this policy sends exactly the wrong message," Fanta Aw, CEO of NAFSA, said in a statement responding to the new rule.

"It tells the world's brightest students and scholars that the United States is becoming less welcoming, less predictable and less committed," she said.