KUALA LUMPUR – The United States has introduced stricter visa duration limits for foreign students, cultural exchange visitors and journalists as part of the Trump administration's broader immigration measures.
A new final rule issued by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will replace the current system, where F visas for international students, J visas for cultural exchange participants and I visas for foreign media workers remain valid for the duration of their academic programmes or US-based employment.
The rule will take effect 60 days after its publication in the Federal Register, subject to congressional review, as reported by Reuters.
Under the new regulations, F and J visa holders will be allowed to stay for a maximum of four years. Meanwhile, I visas for foreign journalists will be limited to 240 days, or 90 days for Chinese nationals.
Visa holders may apply for extensions if they wish to remain in the United States beyond the permitted period.
DHS said the changes are intended to strengthen monitoring and oversight of non-immigrant visa holders, citing a significant increase in the number of international visitors entering under these categories.
The department said more than 1.8 million student visa admissions were recorded in 2024, an increase of more than 11 per cent from the previous year.
It also reported that the US issued visas to more than 500,000 exchange visitors and 37,300 media workers in fiscal year 2024.
“The significant increase in the volume of such visitors poses a challenge to DHS’s ability to monitor and oversee these nonimmigrants while they are in the United States,” the department said.
DHS said some students and exchange visitors had remained in the US for decades under existing visa arrangements, creating challenges for enforcement.
Under the new system, visa holders who wish to remain after their authorised period must apply for an extension with DHS or leave the country and seek readmission.
The policy follows a broader immigration crackdown launched by President Donald Trump after returning to office in January 2025, which has included increased scrutiny of legal immigration pathways and actions affecting international students and migrants.