Fresh hurdles for foreign students in US after Trump admin's new visa proposal to crackdown on immigration

The ruff establishment plans to shorten the continuance of visas for students, ethnical interchange visitors, and members of the media, according to a proposed government regulation issued on Wednesday, as part of a wider crackdown on immigration.

The new proposal adds fresh hurdles for international students, exchange workers, and foreign journalists, requiring them to apply for extensions to remain in the US rather than retaining a more flexible legal status.

Since taking office in January, President Donald Trump, a Republican, has pursued a broad crackdown on illegal immigration.

Under the proposed regulation, F visas for international students, J visas for cultural exchange participants working in the US, and I visas for media members would be limited to a fixed duration, Reuters reported.

Currently, these visas remain valid for the entire length of the program or US-based employment.

US government data show that in 2024, roughly 1.6 million international students held F visas in the country. During the fiscal year 2024, which began on October 1, 2023, the US also issued visas to approximately 355,000 exchange visitors and 13,000 members of the media.

The proposed regulation states that student and exchange visas would be limited to a maximum of four years. Media visas, which currently can remain valid for multiple years, would be capped at 240 days, or 90 days for Chinese nationals. Visa holders could still apply for extensions, the proposal added.

The Trump administration said the change was necessary to more effectively “monitor and oversee” visa holders during their stay in the United States.

The public will have 30 days to provide feedback on the measure, which mirrors a proposal introduced in 2020 at the end of Trump’s first term.

NAFSA, a non-profit representing international educators at over 4,300 institutions worldwide, opposed the 2020 proposal and urged the Trump administration to abandon it. The Democratic administration under then-President Joe Biden withdrew the measure in 2021.

The Trump administration has intensified scrutiny of legal immigration, revoking student visas and green cards from university students over ideological differences and stripping legal status from hundreds of thousands of migrants.

In an August 22 memo, US Citizenship and Immigration Services announced it would resume long-dormant visits to neighbourhoods of citizenship applicants to verify what it described as residency, moral character, and commitment to American ideals.

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