New rule caps scholar and change visas to 4 years, whereas most journalist visas will probably be restricted to 240 days.
Printed On 19 Aug 2026
A coalition of unions and advocacy teams in the US has sued the federal authorities, looking for to dam a rule that will restrict how lengthy international college students and journalists can stay within the nation with out making use of for extensions.
Within the lawsuit, filed within the US District Courtroom for the District of Massachusetts on Tuesday, the teams stated the adjustments could be “catastrophic” for universities, worldwide college students and students.
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The Division of Homeland Safety’s new rule creates a set time interval for the F visas for worldwide college students, the J visas that enable guests on cultural change programmes to work within the US, and I visas for members of the media.
These visas are at the moment out there all through the programme or employment within the US.
Below the brand new rules, set to take impact on September 15, the scholar and change visa durations could be now not than 4 years. The visa for journalists, which might at the moment final years, could be as much as 240 days or, within the case of Chinese language nationals, 90 days.
“They are going to discourage international college students and different nonimmigrants from coming to the US, repelled by the insupportable prospect of shedding lawful immigration standing partway by way of their research,” the teams stated within the lawsuit.
“College students will lose alternatives, colleges will lose expertise, and the general public will lose billions of {dollars} of financial contributions supported by one of many United States’ high exports: training.”
A Division of Homeland Safety spokesperson known as the lawsuit “performative”.
“If the media actually cared about authentic worldwide college students, they’d be thanking President [Donald] Trump for cracking down on the rampant fraud to make sure solely these really intending to check in the US are given the privilege,” the spokesperson stated, with out offering proof for the alleged fraud.
US NewsGuild-CWA President Jon Schleuss described the brand new rule as an assault on journalists.
Randi Weingarten, the president of the American Federation of Lecturers, a nationwide lecturers’ union, stated that the US is “breaking the regulation for its personal political functions and, in doing so, is hurting People and American enterprise”, utilizing worldwide college students as “pawns”.
“This newest assault on data by the Trump administration arbitrarily limits how lengthy worldwide students have to finish their research and dangers turning a welcoming surroundings for college kids right into a hostile one,” Weingarten stated.
