Good afternoon MACRAO membership-

The Government Relations Committee wanted to provide you with information on proposed rule changes for nonimmigrants in the F (academic student) and J (exchange visitor) classifications. Below are some excerpts from the Summary of the Proposed Regulatory Provisions in section B in the Federal Register:

• Setting the authorized admission and extension periods for F and J nonimmigrants up to the program length, not to exceed a 4-year period;
• For F-1 students changing educational objectives or transferring to an SEVP-certified school, requiring that the student complete his or her first academic year of a program of study at the school that initially issued his or her Form I-20 or successor form, unless an exception is authorized by SEVP;
• Requiring any nonimmigrant who has completed a program at one educational level to only be allowed to begin another program at a higher educational level while in F-1 status and prohibiting a change to the same or a lower educational level while in F-1 status;
• Prohibiting F-1 students at the graduate education level from changing programs at any point during a program of study.
• Decreasing from 60 to 30 days the allowed period for F-1 nonimmigrants to prepare to depart from the United States after completion of a course of study or authorized period of post-completion practical training;
• Providing for collection of biometric information in conjunction with an EOS application for F, J, and I nonimmigrants as may be required by 8 CFR 103.16;

DHS will accept public comments on the proposed rule until September 29, 2025 except that comments related to the Paperwork Reduction Act section must be received by September 27.  

Good morning MACRAO membership-

While there are no additional Missouri legislature updates to share, the Government Relations Committee wanted to share some additional articles that may be of interest to the membership.

Good morning MACRAO membership-

With the close of this year’s Missouri Legislature session, the Government Relations Committee is now able to provide a final summary of this legislative session. These bills have been passed pending the Governor signing them.

Good afternoon MACRAO membership-

Below are the latest Missouri legislative updates and links to articles we thought might be of interest to the membership.