Dental Groups Ask DHS to Add Dentistry to STEM Degree List for Visa Extensions

Edited by Dentaltown staff

Seven dental and public health organizations have asked the Department of Homeland Security to designate dentistry as a STEM field, a change that would let eligible international dental graduates on F-1 student visas work in the U.S. for up to three years after graduation rather than 12 months.

The Nov. 9 letter, addressed to the Student and Exchange Visitor Program at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, asks that dentistry degrees, classified under CIP code 51.0401, be added to the STEM-designated degree list. The California Dental Association led the effort. The American Dental Association, American Dental Education Association, American Student Dental Association, Minnesota Dental Association, National Network for Oral Health Access, and American Public Health Association also signed.

Under current rules, most international dental graduates on F-1 visas are limited to 12 months of optional practical training. STEM designation would allow eligible graduates to apply for a 24-month extension, providing up to three years of work authorization before H-1B sponsorship is required.

The groups argued that 12 months is not enough time for graduates and employers to handle credentialing, onboarding, and visa sponsorship, and that the short window may discourage practices from sponsoring international graduates. They pointed to federally qualified health centers, often the main source of dental care in rural and remote areas, as employers that frequently take on the sponsorship process.

The letter said dentistry relies on the biological and physical sciences, 3D imaging, computer-aided design and manufacturing, materials science, and biomechanics. It noted that 13 health-related degree codes in the 51 series already qualify, including medical scientists and pharmaceutical sciences. “Dentistry is by any measure a STEM discipline,” the letter states.

According to ADA News, the ADA does not have specific policy supporting STEM designation for dentistry or an extension of optional practical training, but it has broader policy on the dental workforce and on internationally trained and U.S.-trained dental professionals.

The letter is a request to DHS and does not change current optional practical training rules for dental graduates.

Sources:
ADA News, “ADA seeks STEM visa designation for dentistry,” Nov. 9, 2026: adanews.ada.org/2026/november/stem-visa-designation-for-dentistry
Coalition letter to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, “STEM Designation Request for Dentistry Degrees,” Nov. 9, 2026: ada.org/11092026_coalition_letter_to_dhs_su.pdf