The ‘Intent to Leave’ Rule, which requires international students to return to their home country after completing their studies, may be scrapped, according to the DIGNITY Act of 2025, proposed by Congresswoman María Elvira Salazar and Congresswoman Veronica Escobar, along with a group of 20 members.
This change would allow F-1 visa applicants to have a dual intent of leaving the US after finishing their studies.
International students applying for study visa need to establish during the interview process that they will return to their home country after completion of their studies.
It means, the students will get the F-1 study visa only if they have a single intent of leaving the US after finishing studies.
The DIGNITY Act of 2025 introduced by Congresswoman María Elvira Salazar and Congresswoman Veronica Escobar, along with a group of 20 members proposes to change F student visas to be of “dual intent.”
F-1 Student Visa
The Bill proposal says, “Currently, student visas require the applicant to demonstrate nonimmigrant intent. This means international students have to say that they intend to leave the U.S. when they finish their courses and must prove that they have property in their home country to demonstrate evidence that they plan to return.
Although most students intend to return home anyway, visas are sometimes denied if a student cannot explicitly demonstrate that they plan to return to their home country after their studies. This change will remove this roadblock.
However, this does not change any process for students that want to stay when they finish their studies. Any student that does wish to remain in the U.S. after their studies must still qualify on their merits for employment-based or other applicable visas.”
STEM Courses
The proposals also wishes to bring clarity for individuals with doctoral degrees in STEM fields recognized as individuals having extraordinary ability.
This bill clarifies that individuals who have earned a doctoral degree (PHD) in the field of science, engineering, mathematics, or technology (STEM) are eligible to receive an O visa, for Individuals with Extraordinary Ability or Achievement.
Further, it also applies to individuals that have received a PHD in a healthcare or medical profession. This ensures that individuals who earned PHD’s in high-demand STEM and healthcare fields in the U.S. can apply for an O visa and use their talents here if they want to, instead of being forced to return home as soon as they graduate.
Among some other major proposals, first is to tax earnings of OPT students/workers in US and second is provide a fast-track option to eligible citizens to jump the line for the US green Card by paying a fee of $50,000.