ATTORNEY GENERAL RAOUL OPPOSES PROPOSED BURDENSOME RESTRICTIONS ON INTERNATIONAL STUDENT VISAS

ATTORNEY GENERAL RAOUL OPPOSES PROPOSED BURDENSOME RESTRICTIONS ON INTERNATIONAL STUDENT VISAS

September 30, 2025

Chicago - Attorney General Kwame Raoul today, as part of a coalition of 16 attorneys general, submitted comments opposing the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) proposal to limit international students to a fixed four-year visa period and restrict their ability to transfer schools or change academic programs.

"Welcoming international students to our colleges and universities creates a more enriching educational environment for all students," Raoul said. "The Trump administration's proposal would harm our institutions of higher education and our economy. I join my fellow attorneys general in opposing these overly restrictive requirements that would unnecessarily burden international students and ultimately make our country less competitive on the global stage."

Nationally, only 34% of all college students complete their undergraduate degrees within four years. Graduate and doctoral programs often require seven or more years to complete a degree, meaning candidates would need at least one extension of their visa. This would leave these students to face a complex and expensive process to obtain permission to remain in the country, placing their academic and professional futures at serious risk.

Under current regulations, international students are allowed to remain in the United States if they maintain full-time enrollment in a college or university. With this proposed rule, DHS seeks to replace this flexible system with a rigid four-year limit, shorten the departure grace period from 60 to 30 days, and require DHS approval for school transfers or changes in study. DHS claims the rule is intended to combat fraud; yet the agency inappropriately fails to explain how eliminating the duration of status will address those concerns. Instead, these burdensome restrictions will discourage international students from applying to U.S institutions, increase deportation risks and create costly administrative hurdles.

Raoul and the attorneys general argue that the rule would reduce tuition revenues that help fund programs for in-state students and weaken the ability of U.S. schools to compete globally. DHS' own estimates show that the rule would cost U.S. institutions nearly $90 million. Even without the proposed rule, the NAFSA Association of International Educators reports a projected decline of $7 billion to the economy because of already implemented visa restrictions, leading to an anticipated loss of 60,000 jobs nationwide.

Raoul argues that limiting international students' ability to study in the U.S. will only undermine the health of Illinois' economy and result in fewer course offerings, student services, academic support and housing services for both international and American students.

In the comment letter, Attorney General Raoul and the coalition assert that the proposed rule is arbitrary and capricious in violation of the Administrative Procedure Act. They also note that the 30-day comment period for the proposed rule is procedurally deficient.

Attorney General Raoul is joined in filing the letter by the attorneys general of California, Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Mexico, New Jersey, New York, Nevada, Oregon, Vermont and Washington.