Ian Juarez EDINBURG – Starting Sept. 15, the Department of Homeland Security will begin enforcing new immigration regulations for students on F-1 and J-1 academic visas.
Where before these academic visas were valid until the student’s studies concluded, students will now be given a set amount of time to complete their studies not to exceed 4 years.
Along with this change, the 60-day grace period that students had to stay in the country after their studies finished is now being reduced to 30 days.
Ricardo Ramirez, attorney at law at R-Ramirez, Attorneys and Counselors, said it’s important to create a plan ahead of your graduation date as there is “no way to tell when this policy is going to change.”
“They would change majors, you know, and I guess USCIS (U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services) or immigration decided to stop that,” Ramirez said.
Ramirez said the new regulations are just another expression of the current administration’s policies, and how they’re “trying to be more controlling with immigration benefits”.
“For the student to see what kind of employment prospects they have, maybe start working on some sort of optional practice training, or working with an employer to see if they can get a professional visa after their studies are done,” Ramirez said.
According the Federal Register, any student who may need an extension of stay will have to apply U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services rather than their school.
The UTRGV website highlights several academic restrictions international students should be aware of.
Including:
-Limiting English language training to 24 months
-Restrictions on school transfers and changing majors for undergraduates until their first academic year is completed
-Graduate students cannot change their academic goal during their program.
-Starting a same level or lower-level degree post-graduation
When asked for an interview, International Student Services at UTRGV “Unable to provide an interview at this time.”
When asked for an interview, Patrick Gonzalez, Senior Vice President for University Marketing and Communications, said
“UTRGV is reviewing the new federal regulations and will provide appropriate guidance to affected international students. Questions regarding the Federal Policy and its requirements are best directed to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.”
With over 770 international students enrolled this fall, Ramirez shared how the best advice he can give to people is to stay informed.
“Know, when their status expires, if there’s anything that could potentially pose a risk or compromise that status, right,” Ramirez said. “All of that needs to be accounted for. And if they need to seek legal help, obviously immigration attorney can provide, you know, more specific analysis and opinions on how to proceed with their specific case.”
Any students wishing to contact UTRGV ISS can call contact them at (956) 882-7092 or (956) 665-2922.
Or find them on the Edinburg campus at the Marialice Shary Shivers Building 1.102 and on the Brownsville campus at the Main Building 1.308.
