US Plans Changing Visa Duration Regulations For Foreign Students, Journalists

July 16, 2026

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FILE PHOTO: The US Department of Homeland Security seal is displayed at the FEMA National Response Coordination Center in Washington, DC, January 24, 2026. (photo credit: REUTERS/NATHAN HOWARD/FILE PHOTO) via TJP

By Reuters

The new rule from the US DHS creates a fixed time period for visas for international students and members of the media, which were previously available for the duration of the program or employment.

The Trump administration has moved, on Thursday, to tighten the duration of visas for foreign students, cultural exchange visitors and Journalists, according to a Government notice.

The new final rule from the US Department of Homeland Security creates a fixed time period for F visas for international students, J visas that allow visitors on cultural exchange programs to work in the US, and I visas for members of the media.Read Also: Trump Administration Revokes 80,000 Non-Immigrant Visas US official

Those visas are currently available for the duration of the program or US-based employment.

The effective date is 60 days from publication in the Federal Register, subject to congressional review.

US President Donald Trump kicked off a wide-ranging immigration crackdown after taking office in January 2025.The latest action would create new hurdles for international students, exchange workers, and foreign Journalists.

The Trump administration has increased scrutiny of legal immigration, revoking student visas and green cards of University students over their ideological views and stripping legal status from hundreds of thousands of migrants.

Under the new regulation, the student and exchange visa periods would be no longer than four years. The visa for Journalists – which currently can last years – would be up to 240 days or, in the case of Chinese nationals, 90 days.

The visa holders could apply for extensions, it said.

DHS cites rise in visa applications for change in guidelines

The department cited a dramatic rise in such visas in the posting. It said there were more than 1.8 million student visa admissions in 2024, a more than 11% increase over the previous year.

The US granted visas to more than 500,000 exchange visitors and 37,300 members of the media in fiscal year 2024, which began on October 1, 2023, it said.

The significant increase in the volume of such visitors “poses a challenge to DHS’s ability to monitor and oversee these nonimmigrants while they are in the United States,” DHS said.

DHS said it has many examples of students and exchange visitors staying for decades on their visas.

Visa holders who want to stay in the United States beyond their fixed period of admission will need to apply to DHS for an extension or gain readmission by traveling abroad and then re-entering the United States, the new rule said.

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US Plans Changing Visa Duration Regulations For Foreign Students, Journalists

The new rule from the US DHS creates a fixed time period for visas for international students and members of the media, which were previously available for the duration of the program or employment.

DHS cites rise in visa applications for change in guidelines

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US Plans Changing Visa Duration Regulations For Foreign Students, Journalists

The new rule from the US DHS creates a fixed time period for visas for international students and members of the media, which were previously available for the duration of the program or employment.

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