The Trump administration is once again proposing significant changes to US immigration policy, this time targeting foreign journalists, students, and exchange visitors. A new Department of Homeland Security (DHS) proposal would impose fixed-term limits on visas that have traditionally allowed for indefinite stays.
Under the new rule, I-visas for mainland Chinese journalists would be limited to a maximum of 90 days, with the possibility of extension. Journalists from other countries would be capped at 240 days. The proposed change, outlined in a DHS memo this week, revives restrictions that President Donald Trump had sought during his first term, which were later scrapped by the Biden administration.
The proposal has drawn swift condemnation from Beijing. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun stated that the country opposes “discriminatory practices taken by the US against specific countries.” US officials, however, argue that China’s government allows far fewer American journalists into its country than the US allows Chinese reporters.
The DHS memo also spells out new restrictions for students and exchange visitors, limiting their stay to a maximum of four years. According to the proposal, the current “duration of status” policy, which allows students to remain as long as they are enrolled in a program, has “created incentives for fraud and abuse.” A DHS spokesperson said that past administrations have allowed foreign visa holders to remain in the US “virtually indefinitely, posing safety risks, costing untold amount of taxpayer dollars, and disadvantaging US citizens.”
The proposed changes are part of a broader immigration crackdown by the Trump administration and are now open for a 30-day public comment period.