Trump Administration Moves to Limit Visa Durations for Students, Media
(MENAFN) The Trump administration introduced a new rule on Wednesday aiming to restrict the length of stay for certain visa categories, including foreign students, professors, physicians, and media personnel, according to a statement from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
DHS explained that the rule targets “longstanding abuse” of student visas and seeks to enhance government oversight and vetting of individuals admitted under temporary visa programs.
“For too long, past administrations have allowed foreign students and other visa holders to remain in the U.S. virtually indefinitely, posing safety risks, costing untold amounts of taxpayer dollars, and disadvantaging U.S. citizens,” a DHS spokesperson said, adding: “This new proposed rule would end that abuse once and for all.”
Since 1978, foreign students on F visas have been granted admission based on a “duration of status” framework, enabling them to stay indefinitely as long as they remain enrolled, the DHS statement noted.
The administration criticized this system for producing “forever students” who evade additional scrutiny by continuously re-enrolling.
The proposed regulation would limit foreign students and exchange visitors to a maximum stay matching the length of their academic or cultural program, with a four-year cap. Media representatives would be allowed an initial admission period of up to 240 days, extendable by another 240 days, except for Chinese journalists, whose visa length would be restricted to just 90 days.
According to DHS, visa holders would need to seek extensions through U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, enabling the department to maintain regular supervision. The fixed admission durations aim to bolster the Student and Exchange Visitor Program and improve monitoring efficacy.
This policy was first proposed in 2020 but was later rescinded by the Biden administration in 2021, DHS added.
‘Discriminatory’ Response from Beijing
On Thursday, Chinese officials condemned the U.S. proposal, labeling it “discriminatory” toward Chinese journalists.
“Closer people-to-people exchange serves the common interests of both countries. We oppose the US’ discriminatory move targeting a specific country,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun declared during a press briefing in Beijing.
Legal Disclaimer:
EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.
