Trump Administration Proposes Visa Limits for International Students, Media, and Exchange Visitors

The Trump administration has proposed a rule to limit visas for students, media, and cultural exchange visitors. F and J visas would be capped at four years, and I visas at 240 days. The rule ends indefinite stays and tightens oversight, affecting over a million international visa holders.

The Trump administration has introduced a proposed immigration rule that would significantly shorten the visa durations for international students, cultural exchange visitors, and foreign media personnel. The move, announced Wednesday, is part of a broader effort to tighten oversight of legal immigration in the United States.

If implemented, the rule would impose fixed terms on F visas (for students), J visas (for cultural exchange), and I visas (for media professionals). Unlike the current system, which allows many of these visas to remain valid for the duration of a program or employment, the new regulation would require time-bound admissions and extensions.

For international students on F-1 visas, the maximum stay would be capped at four years. The post-study grace period for these students would be reduced from 60 to 30 days, and switching academic programs mid-way through graduate study would be restricted. Cultural exchange visitors on J visas would also be subject to a four-year limit. Meanwhile, media workers on I visas would be granted an initial stay of only 240 days, with limited renewal options.

The Department of Homeland Security stated that the changes are intended to ensure visa holders comply with the conditions of their stay. The rule would also eliminate the longstanding “duration of status” policy in place since 1978, which allowed nonimmigrants to remain in the U.S. as long as they maintained valid activity.

The administration argues that some foreign nationals have abused student visas by remaining indefinitely in academic institutions. Immigration officers would also gain increased authority to assess visa compliance.

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The public has 30 days to comment on the proposed rule. Critics view the change as another measure by the Trump administration to restrict legal immigration, affecting over 1.6 million international students and hundreds of thousands of others annually.