New Trump administration policies add uncertainty for international students

A new rule by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), set to take effect on Sept. 15, will limit how long many international students and exchange visitors can stay in the country without an extension application to the federal government. 

The rule ends a longstanding policy of nearly 50 years that allowed students and visitors to stay in the U.S. for the length of their academic program without needing to apply for a visa extension. International students, many of whom hold F-1 visas for academic studies or J-1 visas for exchange visitors and scholars, make up roughly 24 percent of the University’s student enrollment, according to data from the 2024–25 academic year.

“For now, publication of this rule does not impact your immigration status, and there is no action you need to take,” Director of the Davis International Center Albert Rivera wrote in an email to international students on July 17. The Davis IC held three attorney information sessions in July to help students prepare for the change. Harvard University’s international office also recently advised students to return to the U.S. before the rule would come into effect.

DHS also issued new guidance on Aug. 24, which explicitly limited Curricular Practical Training to when all students in an academic program are required to complete a training opportunity. CPT is a type of work authorization for international students that allows them to work off campus in internships. Princeton currently grants “internship milestone credit” to allow undergraduate students to obtain CPT authorization, which is not required for graduation. Academic departments similarly offer opportunities to international graduate students to obtain CPT authorization, though most departments do not require an internship to graduate.

In an email Tuesday, Rivera stated that the Davis IC would be “carefully reviewing new CPT requests to ensure that each request meets the requirements set forth in the guidance.” Under the new guidance, CPT approval would likely no longer be permissible for undergraduate students and most graduate students.

Rivera did not respond to a request for comment, and a University spokesperson declined to provide additional details.

The new rule requiring extension applications follows the Trump administration’s decision to revoke the visas of thousands of international students at universities across the country for issues including alleged overstaying and legal infractions. On Aug. 28, a federal district judge ruled that laws used by the Trump administration to try to deport international students on the basis of their speech were unconstitutional in a lawsuit filed by The Stanford Daily and other litigants. The Daily Princetonian signed an amicus brief in 2025 alongside other student papers in support of The Stanford Daily.

Last year, the Davis IC recommended that international students carry their I-94 Arrival-Departure Record Cards at all times following increased incidents between ICE and international students in the country.

The previous provision, known as duration of status, generally allowed international students and exchange visitors to stay in the U.S. for as long as they are “making normal progress towards completing” an academic program or optional practical training (OPT). OTP is a temporary employment option allowing students to work in the U.S. in a field related to their area of study. Now, visa holders must apply for an extension with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) if they want to take more than four years to finish their degree or program.  

The grace period for F-1 visa holders to prepare to leave the country or change their immigration status will be shortened from 60 days to 30 days, and there will also be new restrictions on changing majors or transferring schools. Undergraduate students are not allowed to change their major or transfer schools in their first year — though undergraduates at Princeton do not declare their major until their sophomore year. Graduate students are not able to change their program at any point in their studies.

Current first-year undergraduates are required to choose between the A.B. and B.S.E. degree programs, which determine their advisers and other support resources. It was not clear if the University would need to prohibit international first-year students from changing degree programs under the new rule.

“While we are still awaiting government guidance on implementation of this rule, we do not expect it to have a significant impact for our first-year students,” University Media Strategist Molly Seltzer said in a statement to the ‘Prince.’ “In terms of advising, we will remain focused on helping students find the best academic path for them.”

For graduate students, the typical Princeton Ph.D. program length is already around five years, longer than the four years initially granted under the new rule, and many humanities and social sciences students take nearly six years to finish, potentially increasing their burden under the new rule.

Wahyu Nurbandi GS, a third-year Ph.D. student in the Science, Technology, and Environmental Policy (STEP) program in the School of Public and International Affairs, currently holds a five-year F-1 visa from Indonesia. He was already planning on applying for an additional sixth year to finish his program, so the change does not have much of an impact on his future plans.

“I personally do not have any problems with this change as long as the extension application process is clear and can be done within the U.S., which the proposed framework seems to accommodate,” Nurbandi wrote in a statement to the ‘Prince’ before the rule was finalized. The final rule and the preliminary rule are largely the same, though there is an added reprieve from filing for an extension of stay if students apply for a post-completion or STEM OPT within the first six months after the rule takes effect.

Though Nurbandi says his visa application process went smoothly, he noted that some students receive single-entry visas, which means they must re-apply for a visa every time they leave the U.S. to visit family, attend conferences, or conduct research. Because of this, some students must deal with larger amounts of paperwork.

“Every single time I leave the U.S. to go home, I already have to reapply for a completely new physical visa stamp at the embassy just to return and finish my degree,” one undergraduate international student, who requested anonymity out of fear of repercussions for their visa status, wrote in a statement to the ‘Prince.’ “Because of that, if the fixed 4-year limit is enacted and I happen to need an extra semester, going through a formal extension process isn’t a massive shift in my mindset.”

The student expressed their belief that the shorter grace period and increased fees for extensions “will add a real layer of anxiety and bureaucracy for a lot of international students, especially when managing tight OPT timelines.”

According to DHS, the purpose of the change is to restore “integrity to the nation’s immigration system” and mitigate exploitation of the duration of status rule. 

“For decades, foreign students have been admitted into the U.S. indefinitely, allowing thousands to abuse our immigration system by perpetually enrolling in courses to avoid having to leave the U.S,” DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin said in a press release. “By implementing clear, finite limits on these visas, the United States is reclaiming its ability to properly screen, vet, and monitor individuals within our borders. This final rule ensures that foreign students remain focused on their primary purpose: completing their studies and returning home.”

But some have raised concerns that the new rule would overburden the immigration system, which already has a reported processing time from six months to 14 months for extension of stay applications. NAFSA: Association of International Educators, a nonprofit that supports international students, argued that educational institutions would also be encumbered by helping students with the extension applications, as well as face more compliance costs and legal risks.

NAFSA has since sued the Trump administration over the new rule alongside several other higher education groups and unions.

Last summer, Nurbandi dealt with the fear of other visa issues — a phenomenon shared by many international students over that time period as students were denied re-entry into the U.S. or saw their visas revoked.

“It was a stressful time because it was approaching summer and I needed to return to Indonesia for research,” Nurbandi wrote, noting that in spite of delays he was able to complete fieldwork in August 2025. “It was supposed to take three months, but I managed to condense it into just one month.”

Oladoyin Phillips ’14, a fourth-year Ph.D. student also in the STEP program, said she thinks that some students with options in other countries might avoid applying to the U.S.

“However, there is something about the U.S. that pulls people in, especially when you look at the funding opportunities,” Phillips continued. “I think people will still try their luck, but many might not be able to afford it, and that might end up being the big deterrent.”

But international student enrollment in the U.S. fell by 20 percent from spring 2025 to spring 2026, with a 24 percent decrease in graduate students. Universities in Asia and Europe are seeing an increase in international students, according to TIME Magazine.  

Whether or not international students plan on seeking more permanent employment in the U.S. after graduation, such as with an H-1B visa, a temporary work permit for specialized professionals, is another matter. Phillips plans on leaving the U.S. after she graduates. The hassle, she wrote, was not worth it, and she also expressed hesitancy about how international students have to make their social media accounts public, a policy that has been in place since June 2025. “The U.S. is not the country I’d have thought would do this in a million years,” she wrote.

Elizabeth Hu is a senior News writer, assistant head Copy editor, associate Data editor, staff Podcast producer, and contributing Features writer from Houston. She can be reached at exh[at]dailyprincetonian.com.

Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.