DHS Seeks More Time on Foreign Student Work Rule

The existing federal rule that enables international students in the U.S. who study science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields to qualify for an extra 17 months of postgraduation work authorization is due to be invalidated Feb. 12, but the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has filed a motion asking a federal judge to allow the current rule to remain in place for an additional 90 days to "ensure an uninterrupted regulatory transition" and prevent hardship on the part of students. The agency said it had received approximately 50,500 comments on the new rule it has proposed to replace the one that Judge Ellen Segal Huvelle has ruled invalid on procedural grounds.