Trump administration caps US student visas at four years, limits journalists to 240 days

The Trump administration on Thursday finalized rules imposing stricter limits on how long foreign students and journalists may stay in the United States, tightening legal immigration. Student visas will be capped at four years, while journalists will be limited to 240-day stays. Chinese journalists will face 90-day limits.

Under the new rules, foreigners on student visas will be admitted for the length of their academic program up to a maximum of four years. Foreign journalists will be limited to stays of just 240 days, or around eight months, but can apply for extensions of similar duration. Chinese nationals will be allowed to stay for just 90 days, with extensions of 90 days.

The move is part of a broader immigration crackdown by President Donald Trump, which includes aggressive enforcement operations in major cities and new restrictions on legal pathways to citizenship.

Media rights groups have criticized the new rules. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) told AFP on Thursday it was "outraged" over the limitations. "This change destroys international journalists' ability to report from the US and makes it extremely difficult for international outlets to operate here at all," warned RSF North America advocacy manager Ben Grazda. The group urged the US Congress to act to ensure foreign journalists may work freely in the country.

The Committee to Protect Journalists called the move "the behaviour of a backsliding democracy", and the latest in "a pattern of deeply concerning press freedom violations from this administration".

The Department of Homeland Security received close to 22,000 public comments after proposing the student and journalist rules in August 2025 but finalized them largely unchanged. When it proposed the rule, DHS alleged that non-Americans were indefinitely extending their studies so they could remain in the country as "forever students".

The new rules are set to be published on Friday and will take effect 60 days later, around September 15, 2026.

The US government is restricting the duration of stay for foreign students and media representatives in the country. Previously, they were allowed to stay without a fixed time limit for the duration of their studies or work assignments. Now, students and exchange students will be limited to a stay of four years. Journalists will be limited to 240 days. Both groups can apply for extensions without having to leave the country.

The US government had already considered such a change during President Donald Trump's first term. Last year, it made a new attempt. The three visa categories for students (F visa), exchange students (J), and journalists (I) have enjoyed an exceptional status for years. Their holders were not allowed to enter the USA for a fixed period but for the "Duration of Status". For journalists, this meant that their status was considered unchanged as long as they were active in the same job for the same employer. Students were officially allowed to stay in the country for the duration of their education.

The document on the reorganization states that this regulation made it difficult to keep track of the whereabouts of foreigners in these groups in the USA and whether the conditions for their long-term stay were still met.

The new rules are to be officially published on Friday and will come into force 60 days later.

More than 1.1 million foreign students studied in the United States last year, more than in any other country in the world. The new regulation is particularly problematic for those whose US study program lasts longer than four years. According to the new rules, they can apply for an extension, but it is uncertain whether this will be granted. This would affect students who want to pursue a doctorate after their studies.

The US government presented the plans for the tightening last August. The old visa rules brought "security risks, caused immeasurable costs for taxpayers, and disadvantaged US citizens," it said at the time without evidence. Subsequently, around 22,000 statements were submitted to the Department of Homeland Security, but they did not lead to a rethink. The new rules are to be published in the US Federal Gazette on Friday and will come into force after 60 days, i.e., on September 15.

The project had already been sharply criticized by universities and media organizations last year. The US government was sending "a message to talented people around the world that their contributions are not appreciated in the United States," the Association of University and College Presidents had declared.

The new regulation by the Department of Homeland Security represents a drastic turn in the regulation of the entry of international students, created in the 1990s. According to the regulation, students with F visas and exchange program participants with J visas may only stay in the United States for the duration of their program, up to a maximum of four years. The visa for journalists, which can currently last for years, would be limited to 240 days or, in the case of Chinese citizens, 90 days. Holders of these visas can apply for extensions.

In August, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs opposed the proposed new rule for Chinese journalists, considering it discriminatory. The Chinese Embassy did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Thursday.

Those who need more time, including most doctoral students and doctors in prolonged residencies, will have to submit a formal extension request to the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), provide biometric data, and pay a fee, instead of relying on their educational institutions to manage their status. Once the period has expired, they will have to request readmission by traveling abroad and then re-entering the United States, the DHS indicated.

The new rule prohibits graduate students from changing their "educational objectives" at any time or transferring to another institution without authorization. It also halves the time for students to leave the United States after completing their studies or training, from 60 to 30 days.

Students who are already in the United States when the rule comes into effect will have a fixed end date based on their current program, plus a grace period, instead of having to leave immediately.