WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump’s administration finalised rules Thursday (Jul 16) that impose stricter limits on how long foreign students and journalists can stay in the United States, the latest bid to tighten legal immigration in the country.
Under a change that could be implemented as soon as September, foreigners on student visas would be admitted for the length of their academic programme up to a maximum of four years.
Foreign journalists would be limited to stays of just 240 days, or around eight months, although they could apply to extend by 240-day periods, except for Chinese journalists who would get just 90 days.
The move forms part of a broader immigration crackdown that Trump has made a centrepiece of his presidency, spanning aggressive enforcement operations in major cities as well as new restrictions on legal pathways to citizenship.
The Department of Homeland Security received close to 22,000 public comments after proposing the student and journalist rules in August 2025, but finalised it largely unchanged.
When it proposed the rule, DHS alleged that foreigners were indefinitely extending their studies so they could remain in the country as “forever students.”
The department said the open-ended system, in place for students since the late 1970s, had undermined its ability to monitor visa holders.