COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio State University leaders and faculty are urging the federal government to abandon a proposed four-year limit on international students’ stays after a federal judge temporarily blocked the policy just one day before it was scheduled to take effect. The Department of Homeland Security rule would replace the current system, which allows international students to remain in the country as long as they maintain their student status, with a fixed four-year period. The administration says the change is intended to prevent students from using repeated enrollment to remain in the United States after their visas expire. DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin said the policy would establish clearer limits and improve the government’s ability to screen and monitor people in the country. University officials and faculty members counter that a rigid deadline could disrupt students’ education, research and professional plans. “Students who’ve been admitted should all be treated the same and not have this kind of thing hanging over their necks,” said Pranav Jani, a board member of the American Association of University Professors at Ohio State. “Many of our students don’t finish in four years.” Ohio State President Ravi Bellamkonda, who was an international student himself, said the university is advocating for what he called “smart immigration” policies that would allow universities to recruit researchers and students from around the world. He also pointed to a sharp decline in international enrollment at Ohio State. The number of first-year international students fell by more than 35% last fall, the university’s lowest level in a decade apart from the pandemic-era decline in 2020, according to the university’s figures cited in the report. Jani warned that another drop could affect more than the university. International students generally pay higher tuition, he said, and their spending supports businesses and workers throughout the Columbus region. NAFSA: Association of International Educators estimates that international students generated nearly $350 million for Ohio State’s main campus and supported 3,422 jobs. “People are going to not want to come here and that hurts us,” Jani said, predicting a damaging effect on Ohio State’s finances and the broader Ohio economy. Ohio State was among several universities that raised formal concerns after DHS announced the policy in July. Bellamkonda said he opposes illegal immigration but believes immigration enforcement should be designed in a way that does not undermine universities’ ability to educate students and conduct research. The judge’s order is temporary. The federal government could appeal, and the four-year limit could still be implemented later depending on the outcome of the case. Until then, universities and international students face continued uncertainty over the rules governing how long students may remain in the United States.