Trump limits length of visas for students, exchange visitors, journalists

New rule ends open-ended stays and requires extensions after fixed visa periods for students and foreign media.The administration of United States President Donald Trump is putting new time limits on visas for foreign students, exchange visitors and journalists, ending a decades-old system that let many of them stay in the US for as long as they remained in school or on assignment.Under a new Department of Homeland Security (DHS) rule released on Thursday, international students and exchange visitors will generally be limited to four years while foreign journalists will be admitted for up to 240 days at a time, or just 90 days for Chinese nationals.Anyone who wants to stay longer will have to apply for an extension or leave the country and apply to come back.The regulation, which takes effect 60 days after publication in the Federal Register pending congressional review, could impact admissions for college programmes starting in August and September.It marks the latest step in Trump’s broader crackdown on Immigration since returning to office in January 2025.“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 amount of taxpayer dollars, and disadvantaging U.S. citizens,” a DHS news release said when the changes were first proposed last summer.The administration says the changes will make it easier to keep track of people on these visas.“DHS has many examples of students and exchange visitors staying for decades in their student or exchange visitor status,” the rule said.