Trump Administration Eyes New Restrictions on Visas for Students and Media Personnel

Washington, Aug 28 (PTI) — The Trump administration is eyeing new restrictions on the duration of visas for foreign students and media personnel in the United States. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced Wednesday that the proposed rule, if finalized, would curb the allowed length of stay for specific visa holders, including foreign students.

Since 1978, foreign students on F visas have been admitted for an indefinite duration known as the “duration of status.” This meant they could stay in the US without undergoing additional checks, a flexibility not extended to many other visa types, according to the DHS.

The Trump administration claims that foreign students have exploited this arrangement, remaining in the US indefinitely as "forever" students by continuously enrolling in courses. “Past administrations have wrongly allowed these visa holders to stay indefinitely, posing security risks, burdening taxpayers, and putting US citizens at a disadvantage," stated a DHS spokesperson. “The new proposed rule will address this issue by setting time limits on their stays.”

For foreign media personnel with I visas, typically issued for five-year terms with potential extensions, the new rule would change the initial entry period to up to 240 days, with possible extensions also limited to a maximum of 240 days. These changes would ensure the extension matches the length of their temporary assignment.

The proposed regulation under President Trump would allow foreign students and exchange visitors to stay only for the duration of their programme, capped at four years. This fixed-term admission would require aliens to seek approval from the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services for any extension, mandating regular reviews by DHS.

This regulatory effort was originally proposed in 2020 under President Trump but was retracted by the Biden Administration in 2021.

In addition, changes to the H1B visa programme, favored by Indian IT professionals, and updates to the Green Card process are on the Trump administration’s agenda. US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick indicated that the H1B changes are imminent, describing the current system as "terrible." He also mentioned forthcoming reforms to the Green Card process, vital for attaining permanent residency in the US.

These developments arise amid a diplomatic friction between the US and India, exacerbated by the Trump administration's imposition of a 50 percent tariff on India's Russian oil purchases, effective from Wednesday.

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