The administration of US President Donald Trump has decided to further tighten visa regulations for foreign students, participants in cultural exchange programmes, and journalists travelling to the United States.
According to Express News, under a new final rule issued by the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS), fixed validity periods have been introduced for F visas issued to international students, J visas for foreign nationals participating in cultural exchange programmes, and I visas for media representatives.
The report stated that the new regulation will come into effect 60 days after its publication in the Federal Register, subject to congressional review. The measure is expected to create additional hurdles for international students, exchange programme participants, and foreign journalists.
Under the new rules, student and exchange visas will be limited to a maximum validity of four years. Journalists will receive visas valid for up to 240 days, while Chinese nationals will be limited to 90-day visas. Previously, these visas could remain valid for several years.
The report added that visa holders will still be able to apply for extensions.
Previously, visas issued to foreign students, journalists, and participants in cultural exchange programmes generally remained valid for the full duration of their academic programme or employment in the United States.
Under the new regulations, graduate students will be prohibited from changing their academic field of study or transferring to another programme without authorization. In addition, the period allowed for students to remain in the US after completing their degree or training has been reduced from 60 days to 30 days.
Former DHS official Doug Rand said that most Americans understand the importance of welcoming international students and reducing unnecessary bureaucratic barriers, but argued that the new rule would achieve the opposite.
According to the Department of Homeland Security, during the 2024 fiscal year, which began on October 1, 2023, the United States issued visas to more than 500,000 participants in cultural exchange programmes and 37,300 journalists.
The department said that the significant increase in the number of foreign nationals has made monitoring and overseeing non-immigrants during their stay in the United States increasingly challenging. DHS also noted that it has documented several cases in which individuals on student and cultural exchange visas have remained in the country for decades.
Also Read: Saudi Arabia to introduce new change to Umrah visa system
