America's big decision for foreign students, new visa rules implemented

New Rules For US visa: As part of a crackdown on legal immigration to America, the Trump administration has proposed reducing the duration of visas for foreign students, cultural exchange visitors and journalists. According to the new rule announced on Wednesday (August 27, 2025), these people will now have to apply for visa extensions repeatedly to stay in the US for a longer period.

After coming to power in January, Donald Trump has started a strict action on immigration. These new rules will create new difficulties for foreign students, exchange workers and foreign journalists. Currently, these visas are valid for the duration of their program or job, but the new rule will fix this period.

What are the new visa rules?

According to the proposed rule, the duration of F visas for foreign students, J visas for cultural exchange programs and I visas for journalists will be fixed.

Students and exchange visitors

The visa will not be valid for more than four years. According to the US government's 2024 figures, 1.6 million foreign students were on F visas. In fiscal year 2024, 3.55 lakh exchange visitors and 13,000 journalists were granted visas.

Journalists

Visas for journalists, which can currently last for years, will now be valid for up to 240 days. However, for Chinese citizens, the period will be limited to 90 days. Holders of these visas will be able to apply for an extension after the period expires.

Trump government's reasoning

The Trump government has said that the purpose behind this rule is to better 'monitor and supervise' visa holders.

The public will have the next 30 days to comment on the proposal. Notably, a similar proposal was made in 2020, towards the end of Trump’s first term, but was withdrawn by then-President Joe Biden in 2021.

Trump administration’s crackdown risks visa and green card revocation

NAFSA, which represents more than 4,300 institutions around the world, also opposed the proposal in 2020. The Trump administration has stepped up its crackdown on legal immigration, including revoking students’ visas and green cards based on their ideological views and revoking the legal status of thousands of migrants.

In an August 22 memo, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (CIS) said it would resume neighborhood visits to verify citizenship applicants’ residency, moral character, and “commitment to American ideals.”

Will this decision hurt students?

Although the Trump administration has taken this decision in the name of national security, some experts and people associated with the education world believe that these rules could have a negative impact on the number of foreign students.

Many international students are pursuing long-term research or multi-year courses. According to the new rules, they will have to go through the process of visa renewal repeatedly during their studies. Similarly, the limited duration of visas for journalists could affect their independent and uninterrupted reporting.