US tightens visa rules for foreign students and journalists

The Trump administration on Thursday finalized new rules that impose stricter limits on how long foreign students and journalists can stay in the United States. The changes, which could be implemented as soon as September, would admit students on visas for the duration of their academic program up to a maximum of four years. Foreign journalists would be limited to stays of 240 days (about eight months), with possible extensions of similar length. Chinese nationals would initially be allowed only 90 days, extendable by another 90 days.

The move is part of a broader immigration crackdown by the Trump administration, including aggressive enforcement operations in major cities and new restrictions on legal pathways to citizenship. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) received nearly 22,000 public comments after proposing the rules in August 2025, but finalized them largely unchanged. DHS argued that the previous open-ended system, in place for students since the late 1970s, allowed indefinite stays and created a "forever student" problem.

Media rights groups strongly criticized the new rules. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) expressed outrage, saying the changes undermine international journalists' ability to report from the US and make it extremely difficult for foreign outlets to operate. The Committee to Protect Journalists called the move "the behavior of a backsliding democracy."

The United States hosted more than 1.1 million international students in the 2023-24 academic year, more than any other country, contributing over $50 billion to the US economy in 2023. Higher education groups had denounced the proposal as a needless bureaucratic hurdle that would deter talented students. Universities have already reported lower international enrollments after earlier Trump administration actions, including the revocation of thousands of student visas.

Media organizations and international stakeholders, including the Embassy of Japan, urged DHS to allow admission periods of two to five years for correspondents posted to US bureaus. The department rejected those proposals, along with requests for expedited processing and capped fees for journalists. Trump proposed similar limits at the end of his first term, but his successor Joe Biden scrapped the idea. The new rules are subject to review by the Republican-led Congress.