Senior officials at the US Department of Homeland Security have reportedly been discussing proposals which would require international students to reapply for permission to stay in the US each year.

The 17-month extension of a year-long US post-study work programme for STEM graduates will stay in place until May 10, it was announced this week. The decision by Judge Ellen Segal Huvelle gives international educators in the US an extra three months to campaign for longer post-study work visas for STEM students.

International students interested in studying in the US have a new source of information on immigration rules and visa processes – a video produced by the Student Exchange Visitor Programme (SEVP) and posted on its recently launched Study in the States website. Student to Student: Studying in the States is the first video of its kind from the Department of Homeland Security.

A cross party group of US senators has proposed new legislation to stamp out student visa fraud, after a government report found serious flaws within the Student Exchange and Visitor Program, the federal body that oversees the student visa system. It would crack down on those who run bogus colleges and increase oversight of unaccredited colleges among other measures.