US to toughen up visa regulations for Chinese journalists, foreign students
Trump administration claims changes will combat visa fraud and strengthen national security, but legal experts condemn new proposals
The White House moved on Thursday to tighten visa rules for foreign students, media and those on exchange programmes, including stricter limits on Chinese journalists, in the latest push by a government increasingly focused on cracking down on both legal and illegal immigration.
In the Thursday statement, DHS said it was eliminating what it called a “duration of status loophole” that allowed these visa classes to “remain in the United States indefinitely without routine government oversight”.
The prior approach, introduced decades ago, meant holders of F, J and I visas were admitted for the duration of the approved programme or assignment, rather than a shorter fixed period, leaving their entry records without an explicit expiration date.
Trump’s crackdown on illegal and legal immigration has been a cornerstone of his first- and second-term agendas, with skilled-worker visas and students among those targeted.
Under the new rule, most foreign journalists, who were granted up to five years in the country, will see their admission period reduced to 240 days.
Chinese journalists to be limited to 90-day stays in US
Foreign journalists can apply to extend their visas beyond 240 days, while Chinese journalists must apply every 90 days to extend theirs.N
Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian said that US restrictions on people-to-people exchanges do not serve any party’s interests, and China firmly rejects the discriminatory, country-specific action taken by the US.
“The new US rule seriously violates the three-point consensus between China and the US on media issues reached in 2021, and seriously affects Chinese media’s normal work in the US,” he added.
“China urges the US to protect the lawful rights and interests of Chinese journalists in the US. China reserves the right to take reciprocal countermeasures.”
The new rule will see students and exchange visitors admitted for the length of their specific programme, which is not to exceed four years.
Current visa holders in these three categories will transition automatically to the new system, with their maximum four-year deadline starting from the new rule’s effective date.
“Visa holders requiring additional time to complete an academic programme must formally apply for an Extension of Stay directly through US Citizenship and Immigration Services,” DHS said in Thursday’s statement.
“This transitions oversight from university staff back to federal authorities and subjects applicants to biometric vetting, background checks and fraud screenings.”
In another tightening move, F1 students will only be allowed 30 days under the new rules to prepare for departure, transfer schools, or change status following graduation – down from 60 before.
There will also be strict regulations around students seeking to change their academic focus.
New visa changes ‘genuinely wicked’, says expert
“If you change your ‘educational objectives’, DHS will retroactively deem you out of status back to when you changed them,” said David Bier, the director of immigration studies at Cato Institute, in a social media post. “This is genuinely wicked.”
US immigration lawyer Tahmina Watson said the economic consequences of such changes could be profound and long-lasting, with international students contributing billions of dollars annually to the US economy.
According to official data, the US welcomed more than 1.1 million international students for the 2023-24 academic year, the most of any country worldwide, contributing more than US$50 billion to the US economy in 2023.
“The effects of this policy will not be measured only in the next academic year,” Watson said. “They may be felt for generations through reduced innovation, fewer start-ups, a weaker talent pipeline and diminished global competitiveness.”