Trump administration proposes new rule to tighten visas for students, media

ANKARA/ISTANBUL

The Trump administration unveiled a proposed rule on Wednesday that would limit the amount of time certain visa holders, such as foreign students, professors, physicians, and media representatives, can stay in the US without further screening, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said.

The department said in a statement that the policy is intended to address "longstanding abuse" of student visas, as well as to improve the government's ability to vet and monitor individuals who enter temporary 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 with F visas have been admitted under a “duration of status” designation, allowing them to stay indefinitely as long as they remain enrolled, said the DHS statement.

The administration argued that this has created “forever students” who avoid additional vetting by “perpetually re-enrolling.”

Under the proposed rule, foreign students and exchange visitors would be admitted only for the length of their academic or cultural program, capped at four years. Media representatives would receive an initial admission period of up to 240 days, with the possibility of a 240-day extension. An exception would apply to Chinese journalists, whose visas would be limited to 90 days.

The statement said the changes would require visa holders to apply for extensions through the US Citizenship and Immigration Services, allowing the department to conduct regular oversight. DHS added that fixed admission periods would strengthen the Student and Exchange Visitor Program and improve the effectiveness of monitoring.

The administration initially floated the proposal in 2020, but it was withdrawn by the Biden administration in 2021, it added.

'Discriminatory'

On Thursday, Beijing expressed its opposition to the US move, calling it "discriminatory" against 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 told a news conference in Beijing.