Trump Administration Proposes Fixed Visa Durations: Students & Journalists Limited

Digital Desk

The Trump administration has proposed new visa regulations imposing fixed limits on stay durations: up to 4 years for F-1 (students) and J-1 (exchange visitors) visa holders, and up to 240 days for I-visas (foreign media)—with a stricter 90-day limit for Chinese journalists—superseding the prior “duration of status” model. Visas may be extended, but periods will be finite.

The US has made changes in the visa rules for foreign students (F), exchange visitors (J) and foreign media representatives (I). Now these visa holders will be allowed to stay in the US for a fixed period of time, not indefinitely. The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has proposed this so that these visa holders can be monitored and national security can be strengthened.

The US has announced major changes in the visa rules for foreign students (F), exchange visitors (J) and foreign media representatives (I).

Now these visa holders will be allowed to stay in the US for a fixed period of time, not indefinitely. The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has proposed this change so that these visa holders can be monitored and national security can be strengthened.

Under this new rule, if a student, exchange visitor or media representative wants to stay in the US for more than his stipulated time limit, then he will have to apply for an Extension of Stay (EOS) from DHS.

This proposal has been brought because under the current "Duration of Status" rule, these people were allowed to stay without any fixed date, which increased the possibility of fraud and breaking the rules.

Why is this change necessary?

DHS says that in the current system, immigration officials do not get a chance to check whether the visa holders are following the rules or not.

In 2023, more than 16 lakh F-1 students, more than 5 lakh J exchange visitors and 32,470 I visa holders entered the US. Monitoring such a large number of people was becoming difficult.

The new rules will give DHS an opportunity to check from time to time that the visa holders are doing only the work for which they have been allowed. This will not only bring transparency in the system, but will also curb fraud and illegal activities.

What are the special features of the new rules?

The proposed rules include many important changes. For example, F and J visa holders will be granted entry or extension for a maximum period of four years. The grace period for F-1 students after completion of studies will be reduced from 60 days to 30 days. In addition, graduate-level F-1 students will no longer be able to change their programs mid-way.

A 240-day time limit has been set for I visa holders (foreign media), except in some special cases, such as those related to the People's Republic of China. These changes are aimed at ensuring that every visa holder complies with US immigration laws.

How will it be affected and what is the way forward?

These rules will bring F, J and I visa holders in line with other non-immigrant visa categories, which already have fixed time limits. DHS believes that this will make monitoring easier and increase the robustness of the system.

The public can give its opinion on these proposed rules. For this, within the time limit given in the Federal Register Notice Docket No. Comments must be submitted under ICEB-2025-0001. If these rules are implemented, the way foreign students, exchange visitors and media representatives live in the US will change completely.