US proposes tightening visa regulations for foreign press, students

The Trump administration aims to tighten the duration of visas for students, cultural exchange visitors, and members of the media, according to a proposed government regulation issued on Wednesday, part of a broader crackdown on legal immigration, Report informs referring to The Jerusalem Post.

The latest move would create new hurdles for international students, exchange workers, and foreign journalists who would have to apply to extend their stay in the US rather than maintain a more flexible legal status.

The proposed regulation would create a fixed time period for F visas for international students, J visas that allow visitors on cultural exchange programs to work in the US, and I visas for members of the media. Those visas are currently available for the duration of the program or US-based employment. 

There were about 1.6 million international students on F visas in the US in 2024, according to US government data. The US granted visas to about 355,000 exchange visitors and 13,000 members of the media in fiscal year 2024, which began on October 1, 2023.

The student and exchange visa periods would be no longer than four years, the proposed regulation said. The visa for journalists - which currently can last years - would be up to 240 days or, in the case of Chinese nationals, 90 days. The visa holders could apply for extensions, the proposal said.

The public will have 30 days to comment on the measure, which mirrors a proposal put forward in 2020 at the end of Trump's first term in office.