Communique – Volume 16, Number 8
October 2020
Greetings from the ISSO!
In this issue:
- New CELOP ‘Everyday English’ Course
- Proposed New DHS Regulation to Eliminate Duration of Status
- Administrator Q & A with ISSO Scholar Services Team
New CELOP ‘Everyday English’ Course
BU’s Center for English Language and Orientation Programs (CELOP) is now offering an ‘Everyday English’ class designed to help non-English speakers gain confidence in their everyday interactions and understanding of American culture. This new program can benefit some of our scholars and/or their accompanying spouse or partner who may be struggling with their day-to-day interactions in the local community. Whether it be a trip to the doctor’s office, a discussion with their child’s day care provider, or reading the newspaper, the course will improve their ability to understand and communicate. More details about the course and how to register for the session starting on November 2 is available on the CELOP website. Please share this information with any scholars in your department who may be interested or who may have a spouse or partner who could benefit from this exciting and lower cost new CELOP offering.
Proposed New DHS Regulation to Eliminate Duration of Status
The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published proposed regulation 85 FR 60526 that seeks to eliminate “Duration of Status” or D/S for F international students and J exchange visitors and their dependent family members in F-2 or J-2 status. The proposed rule will replace “Duration of Status” with a specific expiration date of their status. The D/S notation has allowed flexibility for program sponsors to extend the program easily via the SEVIS system. The proposed regulations would require students and Exchange Visitors to submit a form, application fee and supporting documents to USCIS to apply for extensions if they need additional time to complete their program or research at BU. In addition to complicating the extension process, the proposed regulations make extensive changes to how long students and scholars may be granted admission to the US.
Please see an ISSO summary and a NAFSA summary of the proposed regulations for more details.
A number of BU offices are evaluating how this will impact our community. In addition, the University intends to comment and participate in efforts to mitigate the proposed rule change. It is important to keep in mind that this is still in the federal proposed rulemaking process and will not result in any immediate changes for our international students and scholars. The public has 30 days (until October 26, 2020) to comment on these proposed changes. After the comment period ends, the government is required to review all comments submitted and address any substantial comments. Based on the comments, they are likely to make some changes to the regulations before publishing them in final format. Sometimes changes to the final version of a regulation are small and sometimes they are quite substantial. It is difficult to predict if, or when, the government might complete this process and publish new regulations in final format.
Administrator Q & A with ISSO Scholar Services Team
The proposed regulatory changes referenced above, combined with the continued COVID-related travel bans, presidential proclamations and visa processing suspensions can be difficult to understand and communicate to your international scholar community. We encourage interested faculty and administrators to join us for a Q & A with ISSO Scholar Services on Tuesday, October 20 at 4:00 p.m. so that we can provide clarifying details and answer your questions. Registration is required to confirm your attendance via Zoom. This zoom workshop is intended for department administrators. We will hold a similar session specifically for scholars and employees in a few weeks.
The Scholar Services Team remains committed to advising and assisting our international scholar community during this challenging time. We appreciate your continued support!