Should student visas be limited to only 4 years?

This new proposed rule from DHS limiting all student visas to no more than 4 years is just going to increase administrative burdens while doing nothing to increase US security or identify fraudulent academic programs.

Federal Register :: Establishing a Fixed Time Period of Admission and an Extension of Stay Procedure for Nonimmigrant Academic Students, Exchange Visitors, and Representatives of Foreign Information Media

Many academic programs are able to be completed in 4 years. This includes bachelor’s degrees, and nearly all master’s degrees. Bachelor’s degrees take an additional semester or a year sometimes if a student changes their major during their course of study (a relatively routine occurrence). Many PhDs, however, can routinely exceed a 4-year timeframe, especially for students who begin them directly following their undergraduate degrees. There is no reason to burden these students with the uncertainty of a visa extension request at the most critical stage of their research. DHS can already investigate potentially fraudulent academic programs and visa holders with potentially nefarious purposes without this arbitrary time limit.