US Moves to Limit Stays of Students, Exchange Visitors

In a move toward reinstating tougher immigration controls, the Trump administration has revived a controversial proposal to impose strict time limits on visas for foreign students, cultural exchange visitors, and international media personnel.

- JAYANTH JACOB @ New Delhi

The proposed rule, originally floated in 2020 but withdrawn under President Biden, marks a return to the administration's broader effort to curb what it terms as systemic visa abuse and lax enforcement.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that it intends to eliminate the long-standing "duration of status" policy, which has allowed F visa holders, primarily international students, to remain in the United States for the length of their academic programs without a fixed end date, so long as they maintained their course of study.