Penn recently sent a letter to the Department of Homeland Security opposing a federal immigration rule proposed in August that could disrupt international student enrollment.
The proposed policy would abolish the “duration of status” period — which allows international students to stay in the United States through the length of their academic program — and replace it with a fixed four-year timeline for all foreign students and exchange visitors. In a Sept. 27 letter to the Department of Homeland Security, Penn’s Vice Provost for Global Initiatives Ezekiel Emanuel and Senior Vice President and General Counsel Wendy White outlined "unnecessary negative consequences" associated with the change.
Emanuel and White wrote that the new rule would undermine the “competitiveness” of the American education sector, disrupt “virtually all” Ph.D. programs and many medical programs, and impose “significant administrative costs” on both students and universities.
“More broadly, the proposal signals instability and bureaucracy, undermining the country’s reputation as the world’s most attractive destination for global talent in critical fields such as healthcare innovation, artificial intelligence, and biomedical research,” they wrote.
“We stand fully aligned with the University’s concerns outlined in the Sept. 27 letter submitted to the Department of Homeland Security,” Executive Director of Penn International Student and Scholar Services Rudie Altamirano wrote in a statement to The Daily Pennsylvanian. "Predictability, clarity, and flexibility in immigration policy are essential to ensuring that students can complete their academic goals without unnecessary disruption.”
ISSS "remains firmly committed to supporting our international students and scholars, whose contributions are vital to the intellectual, cultural, and research life of the University," Altamirano added.
A University spokesperson declined The Daily Pennsylvanian’s request for comment.
The document’s introduction highlighted the benefits of international student enrollment on campus, including their collective contribution of “$43.8 billion to the U.S. economy in 2023-2024” and support of “more than 378,000 American jobs.”
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“Pennsylvania’s international students contribute $2.2 billion to the state economy and generate 21,989 American jobs in cities and towns across our Commonwealth,” Emanuel and White added.
At Penn, international students consist of approximately 14% of the undergraduate and 30% of the graduate student bodies, according to the letter.
They also emphasized how the department's order will specifically impact colleges and universities — including Penn.
Replacing the “duration of status” framework with a four-year cap would “disproportionately affect doctoral students (whose programs typically last 5–7 years), postdoctoral researchers, and clinical residency programs,” the letter stated.
Emanuel and White additionally wrote that some undergraduates in dual-degree or pre-professional programs may also take longer than four years to complete their studies.
“At Penn, this would put entire labs, research teams, and clinical operations at risk,” they wrote.
Several other clauses proposed by the DHS, the two argued, will similarly inflict administrative “burdens” on students.
The shortening of the grace period after program completion from 60 to 30 days, for instance, will “create challenges for students and increase pressure on advisors.” The change will also “send a discouraging message” to the University community, according to Emanuel and White.
The administrators also suggested that the proposed rule barring students from repeating the same academic level, moving to a lower level, or transferring into a different program would “discourage top global talent seeking opportunities to pursue innovative pathways.”
“The United States cannot afford to compromise its global competitiveness, its innovation ecosystem, or the trust of students, families, and institutions who have long relied on this effective framework,” Emanuel and White wrote. “Protecting Duration of Status is not only a matter of administrative efficiency—it is essential to safeguarding America’s future strength in research, discovery, and economic growth.”
