The Department of Homeland Security ruling that would require international students to leave the United States after four years, among other restrictions, has been paused. Credit: Dalina Houangvilay | Lantern Reporter.
The Department of Homeland Security ruling in July that would place limits on how long international students can stay in the United States, as well as restrict work and travel, has been paused by a federal judge.
Because of this, Ohio State students and organizations face new uncertainty and are forming informational resources for what is to come.
The Council of Graduate Students hosted a webinar titled “Understanding Current International Student Policies” on Sept. 23, at which an immigration lawyer from Student Legal Services provided advice for affected students.
Tatiana Chaiban, co-chair of the International Student Affairs Committee within the Council of Graduate Students and Ph.D. student in the educational policy program, said that the webinar was meant to provide legal advice for international students to better follow and be safe under the DHS ruling.
“We’re not trying to go against [the ruling] because that’s not something in our own control, but as international students, what we try to do is we try to clarify the situation,” Chaiban said. “Like, ‘What does this rule mean? How should you act? How should you still comply?’”
The International Student Affairs Committee co-chair and biomedical engineering Ph.D. student Chethana Yerramsetty said that the webinar was meant to focus on a wide range of questions each international student may have, where they can ask it openly.
“A lot of these students are coming in for the first time in America, and that means, in the past one or two years, that’s their first exposure to what visas look like,” Yerramsetty said. “I think that was the big thing we wanted to communicate as well is that, ‘Okay, here are resources to help you understand how these things work.'”
Yerramsetty was born in India and is considered an international student, though she has lived in Ohio since she was 6 years old. She said that she avoids traveling out of the country to adhere to the ruling, even to academic conferences.
Chaiban is an international student from Lebanon, who credits her past experiences to her actions as the International Student Affairs Committee co-chair today. She said that international students, in spite of their background or “baggage,” are here on an academic basis, and she structures her advocacy in the Council of Graduate Students to support that.
Under the new ruling, international students would be limited to four years on a visa unless granted specific, legal permission if their degree requires a longer amount of time. Andrew Peiffer, an immigration lawyer from Student Legal Services, also shared that international students would need permission to take part in internships or research outside of the university, and would likely only be allowed to work internships if it is required under their majors.
The ruling was paused due to U.S. District Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV’s claim that it would cause “immediate irreparable harm” to the affected students.
The webinar focused on explaining areas international students are affected under the DHS ruling. Peiffer advised in the webinar for international students to set up appointments with him, because many legal questions work on a case-by-case scenario and because immigration laws are in a state of flux.
“Things are changing, and changing again, and there is quite a lot of uncertainty in this area right now,” Peiffer said. “But, it’s one thing to know what you don’t know and it’s another thing to not know what you don’t know.”
Advice included suggestions for international students to work with Ohio State’s Office of International Affairs immediately if they have concerns such as considering taking an extra year, only applying to internships if required for graduation and not traveling outside the country in the case that a student is not let back in.
The DHS ruling has caused some international students to shift their plans for the future to act in accordance with its outlines.
Fourth-year air transportation major Moath Alghamdi is an international student from Saudi Arabia and chose Ohio State for its aviation program, which he called one of the best in the country.
He is pursuing his degree on a professional track and had previously considered finding work experience in the United States after graduation. After the DHS ruling, he said he is no longer looking for a job in the United States, calling it a hassle.
“You have to be critically thinking, you have to be very conscious of what kind of method you want to take,” Alghamadi said. “If I decided to stay here and for some reason, I can not land the job here, that might put me in the risk of getting deported at some point. So, what should be my top priority? I guess it’s just basically not to be in that position.”
For Alghamdi, education is his main focus, and that even though he wanted a job in the United States for his resume, it is in his best interest to go back to Saudi Arabia after he graduates.
“I’m trying to get this done so I can at least have my degree at bare minimum, if I’m not pursuing any jobs or anything,” Alghamdi said. “That would be absolutely one of my worst nightmares, to somehow get deported and I haven’t gotten my degree yet. So it’s just like, all the four years that I have spent here, which has gone in vain.”
