U.s. Immigration and Customs Enforcement July 2024 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

This notice announces that the Secretary of Homeland Security (Secretary) is amending the DHS STEM Designated Degree Program List by adding one qualifying field of study and a corresponding Department of Education Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) code for that field. The list is used to determine whether a degree obtained by certain F-1 nonimmigrant students following the completion of a program of study qualifies as a science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) degree as determined by DHS, as required for the F-1 student to be eligible to apply for a 24-month extension of their post- completion optional practical training (OPT).

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is suspending certain regulatory requirements for F-1 nonimmigrant students from Haiti who are experiencing severe economic hardship as a direct result of the current crisis in Haiti. The Secretary of Homeland Security (Secretary) is providing relief to these students who are in lawful F-1 nonimmigrant status, so the students may request employment authorization, work an increased number of hours while school is in session, and reduce their course load while continuing to maintain their F-1 nonimmigrant status.