Trump administration to cap F, J and I US visas, tighten rules for students, journalists

The changes could have a significant impact on Indian nationals, who now make up the largest international student community in the United States. Students enrolled in programmes lasting more than four years may have to seek extensions from the Department of Homeland Security or leave the country and re-enter to complete their studies. Indian journalists posted to the US would also face shorter visa validity periods under the new rules.

Currently, F and J visa holders are generally allowed to remain in the United States for the duration of their academic programme or authorised employment, while I visas for journalists can remain valid for years.

What changes under the new rule?

Under the new regulation, student and exchange visitor visas will generally be valid for no longer than four years.

Foreign journalists travelling on I visas will be allowed to stay for up to 240 days, while Chinese journalists will receive visas valid for 90 days, according to the rule.

Visa holders who wish to remain in the United States beyond the fixed period will have to apply to the Department of Homeland Security for an extension or leave the country and seek readmission by travelling abroad and re-entering the United States.

Student stipulations

The regulations prohibit graduate students from changing their “educational objectives” at any point or from transferring to another school without authorisation. They halve the amount of time students have to leave the United States after completing their degree or training from 60 to 30 days.

Critics say rule creates new hurdles

“Most Americans understand the value ⁠of welcoming international students and getting ⁠rid of needless red tape,” said Doug Rand, a former DHS official. “This rule would do the opposite.”

David J. Bier, immigration studies director at the Cato Institute, ⁠said there was no legal ‌basis for the study and transfer restrictions in the new regulations.

“International students, many of ​whom will have spent years in the USA, will now have ‌just 30 days to find an employer to sponsor them or immediately be turned into illegal immigrants. Have these people no understanding of how life works?” he added.

Why is the Trump administration making the change?

The Department of Homeland Security said the sharp rise in the number of international students, exchange visitors and foreign journalists entering the United States has made it more difficult to monitor compliance with immigration rules.

The department said there were more than 1.8 million student visa admissions in 2024, representing an increase of more than 11 per cent over the previous year.

It added that the United States granted visas to more than 500,000 exchange visitors and 37,300 members of the foreign media during fiscal year 2024, which began on October 1, 2023.

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,” the department said.

DHS also said it had identified numerous examples of students and exchange visitors remaining in the United States for decades under the current system.

Part of Trump’s wider immigration crackdown

President Donald Trump, a Republican, launched a wide-ranging immigration crackdown after returning to office in January 2025.

The latest rule creates new hurdles for international students, exchange workers and foreign journalists as the administration continues to increase scrutiny of legal immigration.

The Trump administration has revoked student visas and green cards of university students over their ideological views and stripped legal status from hundreds of thousands of migrants.

What happens next?

The new rule is scheduled to take effect 60 days after publication in the Federal Register, subject to congressional review.

Once it comes into force, students, exchange visitors and foreign journalists wishing to remain in the United States beyond their authorised period will have to seek an extension from DHS or depart the country and apply for readmission.

(With inputs from Reuters)