September 10, 2026: Immigration News for International Students in the US
Last week, Lake Ontario became Lake America.
This week, President Trump posted a map of New Mexico with "Mexico" crossed out and "America" written in. The White House account reshared it.
Here's the thing though...he can't actually do that one. The President can only rename federal landmarks and geographic features.
It's up to a state to change its own name.
But...all the talk of changing names inspired others to do the same...including the creators of South Park.
Or...now known as...South America...as of this week 😆
Trey Parker and Matt Stone renamed their own show ahead of the September 16 season premiere.
What will have a new name next week? We'll just have to wait and see!
But for now, let's get caught up on this week's news:
📰 Top Headlines:
A judge tore into the government's case for ending D/S...but left us all hanging.
Unionized Stanford grad workers are asking their university to do more than just follow the rules
Do skilled foreign workers take American jobs? I've covered this recently, but more economists are weighing in
🔬 Interesting Find: An international student reached out and asked if I'd share her research project...so I am! She needs international students to participate...see if you're eligible or can share with others.
🌍 Immigration Corner Deep Dive: The D/S hearing happened last Thursday, and it did not go well for the government. A closer look at what was actually said in that Boston courtroom...and why we're still waiting.
Let's get to it,
Carrie at International Student Voice ⭐info@istudentvoice.com
Best Links for International Students
Immigration News for International Students in the US
📰 TOP 3 HEADLINES FROM THE WEEK: Immigration news for international students in the US
⚖️ A judge tore into the government's case for ending Duration of Status...and then didn't rule (The Boston Globe | Presidents' Alliance)
Judge F. Dennis Saylor told DOJ lawyers he was "struggling to see a rational connection" between the four-year cap and national security, and said the government appeared to be pushing the rule through at high speed rather than taking seriously the 22,000 public comments it received.
The hearing also produced the administration's first real explanation of how the rule would work: students in longer programs would have to request an extension after four years, an immigration officer would decide, and there would be no appeal.
Saylor did not rule, but said he hopes to decide before September 15 and floated a temporary restraining order to buy himself more time...which means the rule is still technically on track to take effect Monday and nothing has changed for you yet.
(Last week I told you the hearing was September 9. Well, it was...but then it got moved up to September 3.)
📝 Stanford grad workers want their university to do more than just comply (The Stanford Daily)
The Stanford Graduate Workers Union launched a petition last month asking the university to raise its $1,200 visa fee reimbursement, reverse its own new fees, refuse to hand over graduate workers' information without a judicial warrant, and guarantee the right to work remotely if needed.
Their argument is about math as much as principle: more than a third of Stanford's graduate students were international as of fall 2025, and the average Stanford PhD takes 5.7 years — well past the four-year cap taking effect September 15.
One international student, who asked not to be named, told The Daily they're now more afraid to like a post criticizing Trump than one criticizing their own government's leadership.
📊 Do skilled foreign workers take American jobs? Economists say it's more complicated than that (PBS News)
Researchers who've studied H-1B workers at both the company and local-economy level have found they act more as complements than substitutes, filling roles that likely wouldn't have been filled otherwise — and one Wharton professor points out that hiring an H-1B worker means lawyers, fees and a lottery you might lose, so employers willing to do it are usually struggling to find anyone else.
The wage argument holds up better, since an H-1B visa is tied to the employer and job-hopping is how wages usually rise, though a 2025 Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond study found the effect was concentrated: longer-tenured young American employees saw a 5% wage reduction while a clear majority of workers at those firms appeared to benefit.
Here's the part that matters if you're headed for the U.S. job market: when companies can't get visas, research shows they often hire the same person in Canada or England instead...which means the job leaves the country rather than going to an American.
🔍 INTERESTING FIND
🎬 An international student is studying how American movies and TV shape your experience here
Apps Mandar Bichu is studying international students' experiences with American popular media, and how that connects to psychological richness and adjusting to life in the U.S. I think this is a fascinating study, so I was happy to include it this week! It's IRB-approved, the survey is anonymous, and it takes about 10 to 15 minutes. Feel free to participate or promote to those who are eligible.
You're eligible to participate if you're:
18 or older
Currently enrolled as an undergrad or grad student at a U.S. college or university
An international student
Able to complete a survey in English
Someone who has recently watched an American movie, TV show, or streaming series
Participation is voluntary, and you can stop at any point during the survey. There's an optional drawing for one of three $50 electronic gift cards, and you don't even have to complete the study to enter.
Questions can go to Apps Mandar Bichu at mandarbichu@chapman.edu or faculty advisor Sophie Janicke-Bowles at bowles@chapman.edu. I hope we can share the results of this study in a future newsletter!
News in 1 Sentence
International students at Dartmouth described how immigration uncertainty is reaching into everything from course planning to job recruiting to what they feel safe posting online, with one student shortening her engineering degree by a year and another finding that employers who once sponsored international hires no longer do.
An immigration attorney has advice for anyone whose F-1 visa gets refused: write down every question you were asked while it's fresh, because the refusal sheet tells you almost nothing, and reapplying with the same application usually gets the same answer.
Florida's attorney general is proposing criminal penalties for AI companies whose chatbots participate in crimes, an investigation that expanded to include the man accused of killing the two USF doctoral students from Bangladesh after court records showed he allegedly asked ChatGPT how to dispose of a body.
A former senior USCIS official and an accomplice were arrested on federal charges for allegedly taking nearly $960,000 in bribes over six years to fast-track immigration applications — skipping background checks and interviews, and rerouting cases away from field offices in Minneapolis, Charlotte and Houston so one of them could approve them himself.
Protests in Albania against a Trump-linked luxury resort passed their 100th day and turned violent this week, with demonstrators clashing with police outside parliament over a development that has already damaged nesting grounds for flamingos and endangered sea turtles.
Zhixian "David" Piao flew 12 hours from Shandong Province to join the golf team at Western New Mexico University, with both parents along for the move — his mom admitting she was nervous about sending him abroad, until she met people in Silver City.
DEEP DIVE: IMMIGRATION CORNER 🛂
A Closer Look Inside the Duration of Status Hearing
OK - I gave you the snapshot at the top of the newsletter. But I just have to share more about what happened inside that Boston courtroom regarding the Duration of Status lawsuit and injunction request.
As a reminder, a few weeks ago I walked through what the duration of status lawsuit argues. Last Thursday, a judge heard it out loud — and for the first time, we got to hear the government explain itself at length.
The government's case, finally spelled out. DOJ senior counsel Michael Celone described the rule as a safeguard against fraud.
He pointed to "pay to stay" schemes, where people paid tuition to fake schools in exchange for visas, and to a handful of cases involving Chinese students on F-1 visas charged with photographing military bases.
The hearing also clarified how the rule would actually work.
After four years, students in longer programs would hit what the government called a checkpoint: file for an extension, and an immigration officer decides. If the answer is no, there's no appeal.
Judge Saylor wasn't buying the security rationale.
He told the government he was "struggling to see a rational connection," and that a four-year cap "does not have anything to do with national security."
On the military base examples, he was blunter: someone who wanted to take that photo could do it within four years.
He also called the examples anecdotal, and said none of the proposed changes would actually deter the abuse being described.
The second problem was procedural.
DHS received 22,000 public comments before publishing the final rule. Federal agencies are required to review and account for them.
Saylor's read: "It does tend to suggest that the government was trying to push this through at high speed rather than taking the comments of the affected communities seriously."
Here's a detail I found telling. According to the Globe, Saylor rarely interrupted the plaintiffs' attorney. He interrupted the government repeatedly.
There was a voice for international students in the room.
Abbie LeBlanc, 29, is a Harvard PhD student from New Brunswick, Canada, six years into studying the history of political theory. She came to the hearing worried about her own status. If the rule takes effect, she may have to graduate in the spring whether or not she has a job lined up. She's also noticed fewer friends back home applying to U.S. graduate programs.
Saylor made a related point from the bench: school is a gigantic expense, and few people would pay it without knowing they could finish.
The argument I keep thinking about...Liz Goss, a Boston immigration attorney who attended, pointed out that the government already has all of the information on international students.
International students report their address, course load and expected graduation date, and any change in enrollment status has to be reported within 21 days.
If the goal is really to re-vet students continuously, the data is already sitting there.
Where it stands. Saylor didn't rule.
He said he hopes to decide before September 15 and floated a temporary restraining order to buy himself time if he can't.
And whatever he decides, it almost certainly gets appealed. Goss expects him to write something built to survive that.
So the uncertainty doesn't end Monday. Unfortunately, it just changes shape for now.
Sources:
SHARE THE KNOWLEDGE!
Disclaimer: International Student Voice is not an immigration attorney or immigration advisor. The purpose of this newsletter is strictly educational. Always consult with qualified legal counsel for advice specific to your situation.
Comments