US tweaks visa rules for students, journos
The Trump administration on Thursday moved to tighten the duration of visas for foreign students, cultural exchange visitors and journalists, proposing a fixed maximum stay
The Trump administration on Thursday moved to tighten the duration of visas for foreign students, cultural exchange visitors and journalists, proposing a fixed maximum stay of four years for most student and exchange visa holders, replacing the current system that allows them to remain in the U.S. for the duration of their academic programme or authorised employment.The Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) final rule creates fixed periods of admission for F visas issued to international students, J visas for cultural exchange visitors who can work in the United States, and I visas for members of the foreign media.Under the new regulation, student and exchange visas will generally be valid for no more than four years, while journalist visas, currently capable of lasting for years, will be limited to 240 days, or 90 days in the case of Chinese nationals.Visa holders will be able to apply for extensions.The rule is scheduled to take effect 60 days after its publication in the Federal Register, subject to congressional review.The latest action creates new hurdles for international students, exchange workers and foreign journalists as the Trump administration continues to tighten legal immigration policies.
Since President Donald Trump returned to office in January 2025, the administration has expanded scrutiny of legal immigration, revoking student visas and green cards of university students over their ideological views and stripping legal status from hundreds of thousands of migrants.The regulations also prohibit graduate students from changing their "educational objectives" at any point or transferring to another school without authorisation. They also reduce the grace period for students to leave the United States after completing their degree or training from 60 days to 30 days.The changes have drawn criticism from immigration experts. Doug Rand, a former DHS official, said, "Most Americans understand the value of welcoming international students and getting rid of needless red tape. This rule would do the opposite."David J. Bier, director of immigration studies at the Cato Institute, argued there was no legal basis for the new restrictions on study and school transfers.
He also criticised the shortened departure window, saying international students, many of whom spend years in the U.S., would now have just 30 days to secure employer sponsorship or risk falling out of legal status.The proposed restrictions on journalists had also drawn opposition from China.In August, China's foreign ministry criticised the proposed rule for Chinese journalists as discriminatory. The Chinese Embassy did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Thursday.DHS said the rule was prompted by a sharp increase in admissions under these visa categories. The department noted that there were more than 1.8 million student visa admissions in 2024, an increase of more than 11% from the previous year.It also said the U.S. granted visas to more than 500,000 exchange visitors and 37,300 members of the media during fiscal year 2024, which began on October 1, 2023.According to DHS, the significant increase in the number of such visitors has made it more difficult to effectively monitor and oversee nonimmigrants while they are in the United States.
The BriefWire