Department of Homeland Security Proposed Rule Comment Period

Sent on behalf of Barbara A. Bichelmeyer, Provost & Executive Vice Chancellor, and Charles A.S. Bankart, Associate Vice Provost for International Affairs.

Dear Students, Staff, and Faculty,

On Sept. 25, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security published a proposed regulation to set new limits on the length of time an international student or scholar may stay in the United States. This proposed rule is subject to public comment (and possible change) before it could become final.

Currently, international students can stay indefinitely if they remain enrolled in school and abide by other immigration rules. If finalized as is, the proposed rule would bring significant changes to international student and scholar immigration regulations by requiring them to file extension applications through the U.S. government after a fixed term in order to continue in their programs.

University of Kansas leaders have serious concerns about this proposed regulation and are in the process of collecting institutional data, and drafting a comprehensive comment letter. At the same time, we are connecting with colleagues at higher education institutions and associations across the state and nation to voice our shared concerns regarding the proposed rule and to strongly express how valuable the contributions of our international students are to our nation, our states, and our institutions.

We also encourage each member of the KU community, including international students, to be active participants in this federal process. Anyone affected by or concerned about the proposed rule can submit a public comment through the Federal Register until Monday, Oct. 26.

Federal Register Public Comment Link

Posting your comments and questions on the Federal Register site is a critical part of this process. This proposed regulation is not yet final and U.S. law requires a 30-day opportunity for people to pose their questions and voice their thoughts and concerns. The process also requires that the federal government review and respond fully to the submissions received by the deadline. This often brings about significant changes to the proposed regulations, and occasionally leads to their complete withdrawal.

Your stories are also important as they bring to light the human beings the proposed regulation would impact. These narratives and the questions that stem from them are incredibly important.

Town Hall Invitation

Many in our international community have questions and concerns about the proposed rule. International Support Services (ISS) and the International Student Advisory Committee (ISAC) will host a town hall meeting covering the rule and its possible impact.

International Community Town Hall

5 p.m., Friday, Oct. 2.

Register for Zoom meeting code and password.

Submit questions

Please submit questions before 5 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 1. Participants will also be able to submit questions during the event via the chat function.

All of us at KU are committed to providing an environment where all students, including our international students and scholars, can thrive and become global leaders. We are stronger for having such rich international diversity across our student, faculty and staff populations. We hope you will join us in advocating on their behalf.

Respectfully,

Barb and Charlie

Barbara A. Bichelmeyer, Ph.D.
Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor

Charles A. S. Bankart, Ph.D.
Associate Vice Provost for International Affairs