The Trump administration has announced stricter visa regulations for international students, cultural exchange participants and foreign journalists, replacing the current open-ended stay linked to their programme or employment with fixed admission periods.
Under a final rule issued by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), F visas for international students, J visas for cultural exchange visitors and I visas for foreign media personnel will now be issued for specific durations. The regulation will take effect 60 days after its publication in the Federal Register, pending congressional review.
The move is part of President Donald Trump’s broader immigration agenda launched after returning to office in January 2025. Since then, the administration has expanded scrutiny of legal immigration by revoking student visas and permanent residency permits in some cases and ending the legal status of hundreds of thousands of migrants.
The updated policy limits student and exchange visitor visas to a maximum of four years. Foreign journalists, whose visas were previously valid for several years, will now receive visas for up to 240 days. Chinese journalists will be limited to 90-day visas, though extensions may be requested.
China had criticised the proposed rule in August, calling the shorter visa validity for its journalists discriminatory. The Chinese Embassy did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Thursday.
Student restrictions
The new regulations also prevent graduate students from changing their educational objectives or transferring to another institution without prior authorisation. In addition, the grace period for students to remain in the United States after completing their studies or training has been reduced from 60 days to 30 days.
“Most Americans understand the value of welcoming international students and getting rid of needless red tape,” said Doug Rand, a former DHS official. “This rule would do the opposite.”
David J. Bier, immigration studies director at the Cato Institute, also criticised the changes, arguing they lack legal justification.
“International students, many of whom will have spent years in the USA, will now have just 30 days to find an employer to sponsor them or immediately be turned into illegal immigrants. Have these people no understanding of how life works?” he asked.
According to DHS, student visa admissions exceeded 1.8 million in 2024, marking an increase of more than 11 per cent compared with the previous year.
The department also reported issuing visas to more than 500,000 exchange visitors and 37,300 foreign journalists during the 2024 fiscal year, which began on October 1, 2023.
DHS said the growing number of student, exchange and media visa holders has made it more difficult to effectively monitor their compliance with immigration rules. It also noted that some students and exchange visitors have remained in the country for decades under the existing system.
Under the revised regulations, individuals wishing to stay beyond their authorised period must either apply to DHS for an extension or leave the country and seek readmission through a new entry.
