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The Trump administration has moved to tighten visa regulations for foreign students, exchange visitors and journalists, introducing fixed visa terms in place of the current system that allows many holders to remain in the United States for the duration of their studies, programmes or employment.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on Thursday issued a final rule setting fixed validity periods for F (student), J (exchange visitor) and I (journalist) visas. The rule is scheduled to take effect 60 days after publication in the Federal Register, subject to congressional review.
Under the new regulations, F and J visas will generally be valid for up to four years, while I visas for foreign journalists will be limited to 240 days. Journalists from China will receive visas valid for 90 days. Visa holders will be able to apply for extensions.
The rule also bars graduate students from changing their educational objectives or transferring to another institution without prior authorisation. In addition, the grace period for students to leave the US after completing their studies will be reduced from 60 days to 30 days.
The latest measure is part of President Donald Trump’s broader immigration agenda since returning to office in January 2025, which has included increased scrutiny of legal immigration, visa revocations and tighter enforcement measures.
The DHS said the changes were necessary to improve oversight as the number of visa holders continues to grow. The department reported more than 1.8 million student visa admissions in 2024, an increase of more than 11 percent from the previous year.
It also issued visas to over 500,000 exchange visitors and 37,300 foreign journalists during fiscal year 2024.
The department said the increasing volume of visa holders has made monitoring compliance more challenging and cited instances of students and exchange visitors remaining in the United States for decades under the existing rules.
Critics, however, argue that the regulations will create additional hurdles for international students and researchers.
Former DHS official Doug Rand said the rule adds unnecessary bureaucracy, while David J. Bier, director of immigration studies at the Cato Institute, said the shorter post-study grace period could make it harder for graduates to secure employment before losing legal status.
Source: Agencies
