Could Bangladeshi students going to the US face complications?

The United States has long topped the list of preferred destinations for students from Bangladesh and around the world seeking higher education abroad. However, the Trump administration's recent announcement to tighten visa policies and residency rules for students has sparked concern.

Under the new policy, in addition to setting a fixed duration of stay for international students in the US, restrictions are also being imposed on changing educational institutions, altering academic programs, and staying in the country after completing studies.

If these rules take effect, students enrolled in long-term programs—such as PhDs, research, or courses lasting more than four years—could face complications. This is because there is no guarantee that their stay duration will be extended simply upon application.

Meanwhile, the US Department of Homeland Security has stated that the policy, set to take effect in September, will "strengthen national security" through regular screenings, alongside "preventing widespread visa abuse."

What changes have been made?

Broadly, five to six changes have been introduced to the student visa policy.

Among them is that the US will now issue visas with a four-year validity, whereas the previous validity period was five years.

Additionally, the "duration of status" has also been set at four years. If anyone requires more time, they must apply for an extension.

Previously, the authority to extend stay durations for student visas rested with Designated School Officials (DSOs)—authorized officials at universities or educational institutions who manage matters related to international students.

Earlier, foreign students on F-1 student visas and J-1 exchange visas were permitted to enter the US under "duration of status" terms. This meant they could remain in the country for as long as it took to complete their degree.

However, the new policy imposes a fixed time limit on that stay.

A key aspect of the proposed new rules is the plan to limit the authority of these DSOs. From now on, this matter will be directly overseen by USCIS (US Citizenship and Immigration Services), an agency under the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

USCIS is responsible for managing immigration, citizenship applications, and various visa-related processes in the country.

In other words, under the new policy, foreign students will no longer be able to stay in the US for more than four years without federal government approval.
Beyond this, three more changes have been introduced.

Among them, the notable ones are that students' opportunities to change their academic programs and transfer between universities and colleges will also be restricted.

Furthermore, they must leave the United States within 30 days after completing their course. This means they only have this amount of time to change to another visa category. Previously, this timeframe was 60 days.

This period is called the "grace period." In other words, after finishing their studies, a student must decide within the next 30 days whether to return home, enroll in a new program, or apply for a different visa.

Additionally, those currently in the US on five-year visas under the old rules will also be transitioned to the current system, said Raju Mahajan, a US attorney of Bangladeshi origin, speaking to BBC Bangla.

Reactions from Bangladeshi Students in the US

To find out what students think about the new visa policy, we spoke with several Bangladeshi students studying in the US.

Barnana Bhowmik went to the US last year to pursue a Master's degree. She said, "Rules change here every now and then, so we are a bit worried about what will happen."

"But as far as I understand, even if the rules change, regular students shouldn't have too many problems. Besides, US visa policy always changes like this."

"Those who will be in trouble are those who are not enrolled. Those who might have dropped out of studies and moved to another status, or came for one program and switched to another," she said, sharing her current understanding.

Shahriar Nobel, currently doing a PhD in the US, told BBC Bangla that the US government made this rule specifically to discourage permanent stay here.

"Those who use the F-1 visa for other purposes will face trouble. But for those who genuinely stay legally and study, this is good. Previously there were irregularities, and those will stop. This will open up avenues for studying based on merit."

Who Might Face More Complications?

While most undergraduate courses in the US are four years long, many graduate-level courses, including doctorates, typically take longer to complete.

Most international students enroll in graduate-level courses. These courses often require more time to complete research and publish papers.

Additionally, funding gaps, course breaks, program changes, or personal circumstances often prolong the study period.

Therefore, the impact of the new rule may be felt most by PhD and long-term research students.

However, lawyer Raju Mahajan believes this won't be a major issue.

In his words, "Although a PhD program is said to be five years, in reality, it takes many people six to seven years to finish. Under the new rules, they will come with a four-year visa and apply for an extension before the four years expire. This extension happened before too."

Previously, extensions were done through the university's DSO (Designated School Official). Supervisors or professors would provide recommendation letters, and the process would be completed.

Under the new rules, this application must be made to the US federal government (USCIS). They will review the applicant's documents and decide on approval or rejection.

"Those who are genuine students and studying according to the rules will get approval. But those who are not studying and are involved in other work or abusing student status will face increased risks," he added.

Raju Mahajan also said the same applies to Master's students.

"The four-year visa is essentially for permission to enter and exit the US. On the other hand, the student's status is a separate matter. In the old system, students would get a five-year visa but come for a two-year Master's. After finishing the Master's, they would enroll in a PhD. Even though they had a three-year visa left, there was no problem. There won't be now either," he said.

Critics have described the new policy as "wrong and unnecessary."
Beyond the stated reasons of visa abuse, Mr. Mahajan believes another factor behind these new rules could be the upcoming election.

"There are elections here in November. And with issues like the Iran war, tariffs, and inflation, the Republican Party is currently under some pressure. Naturally, they will try to keep their voters happy. That's why they are making one announcement after another. But most of these may not last in the long run," he said.

In his view, some parts of the announced changes for students might remain in effect, but most of them may ultimately not stay in place.

Will it affect post-study work opportunities?

After completing a Bachelor's, Master's, Associate, or PhD degree in the US, international students are allowed to work for a specific period under Optional Practical Training (OPT).

Under current rules, students in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) fields can get OPT for up to three years, while non-STEM students get up to one year.

Raju Mahajan said that OPT applications can be filed 90 days before graduation. After the application is approved, students have 60 days to find a job.

"Most students find jobs beforehand. However, if they don't find a job within the stipulated time, they risk losing their OPT benefits," he said.

Regarding the 30-day grace period, Raju Mahajan explained that the US student visa system has various types of grace periods. The new rule only mentions a change to one of them.

"The way they've put it, it seems that the grace period after the academic program ends—where you are no longer studying or working, and you must leave the country—has been reduced to 30 days. They haven't said anything about other grace periods," he noted.

Overall, he said, most of the changes introduced in the new rules are primarily aimed at preventing student visa abuse.

"Those who come on a student visa but don't actually study and are involved in other work, or who keep changing universities and programs just to maintain their visa status—these new rules will impact them the most," he stated.

However, he also mentioned that while numerous visa-related policy changes have been introduced over the past two years, many of them have been stayed or struck down after facing legal challenges in court.

Immigration policy has also become stricter

Since Donald Trump took office for a second time, the US has taken a hardline stance not only on illegal immigration but also on controlling legal immigration.

The Trump administration has attempted to limit the number of foreign students at some elite colleges. At the same time, it has also initiated steps to revoke visas for students who are critical of US foreign policy.

Furthermore, the country has already made the student visa process more stringent than before.

Notably, last June, the Trump administration tightened the rules for social media checks on visa applicants. At that time, the US State Department required applicants to keep all their social media accounts "public" so that consular officers could review their online presence.

Additionally, the Trump administration indefinitely suspended immigrant visa processing for citizens of 75 countries, including Bangladesh, effective January 21.

Around the same time, a "visa bond" system was also introduced for citizens of 38 countries, including Bangladesh, requiring them to deposit between $5,000 and $15,000 to obtain a US visa.