The Trump administration has finalized new rules to tighten legal immigration by imposing stricter limits on the duration of visas for foreign students, cultural exchange visitors, and journalists. Announced by the Department of Homeland Security, these measures are part of a broader push to restrict legal immigration pathways.
Under the new regulations, student and exchange visas will be capped at four years. This replaces a decades-old duration of status policy that allowed international students and exchange visitors to remain in the United States for as long as their studies lasted. Holders of these visas will now be required to apply for extensions and seek federal permission to stay longer.
Visas for foreign journalists will also be drastically shortened, limiting stays to 240 days down from previous durations of up to five years. Chinese journalists will face even more stringent limits, with their stays capped at only 90 days.