Scott Bettridge was quoted in a Law360 article discussing the Trump administration's new fixed-admission framework for foreign students, which generally limits F-1 admissions to four years, and requires students who need additional time to apply for extensions with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. The changes are prompting employers and universities to consider new compliance obligations, including tracking students' visa expiration dates and taking on their extension paperwork.

Regarding employers who hire foreign students potentially becoming more involved in managing immigration compliance, Scott stated “I don't know as an employer if I'm going to turn to the student and say, ‘Well, you go ahead and pay for that, and let us know when you get that done, and give us a call’ if you want to keep that highly talented foreign student.” He noted that “Historically, foreign students have never really been on HR or immigration program coordinators' radar, because they haven't had to do anything,” whereas the new framework is likely to require greater oversight and monitoring.

Additionally, Scott noted that the rules may limit academic flexibility for students pursuing alternate or complementary degree paths. He stated “Maybe there's going to be a path or a procedure or parameters to say, under limited circumstances, you can go parallel, but that's not the way it reads currently.”

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