The Trump administration is planning to limit the duration of visas for foreign students and media personnel in the US.
The move aims to limit the time for those with a “duration of visit” status.
The administration claimed that the students have taken advantage of “US generosity” and have become “forever” students.
The Trump administration is planning to limit the duration of visas for foreign students and media personnel in the US. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shared information pertaining to the proposal in a press release.
“For too long, past administrations have allowed foreign students and other visa holders to remain in the US virtually indefinitely, posing safety risks, costing untold amounts of taxpayer dollars, and disadvantaging US citizens,” a DHS spokesperson said.
“This new proposed rule would end that abuse once and for all by limiting the amount of time certain visa holders are allowed to remain in the US,” the spokesperson added.
Foreign media personnel would only be allowed up to a period of 240 days, as per the proposal.
The proposal would limit the length of time certain visa holders, including foreign students, are allowed to stay in the United States. The move aims to limit the time for those with a “duration of visit” status. Since 1978, foreign students (F visa holders) have been admitted into the US for an unspecified period known as “duration of status”. It allows its holders to remain in the US for an indefinite amount of time without further screening and vetting, the DHS said.
The administration claimed that the students have taken advantage of “US generosity” and have become “forever” students, perpetually enrolled in higher education courses to remain in the country, PTI reported.
Additionally, admitting foreign students, exchange, and foreign media classifications for a fixed period of time would require said aliens to apply for authorisation to extend their stay with the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, therefore requiring regular assessments by the DHS for the alien to remain in the US for a longer period.
The move comes after reports of altering the H1B programme, the most sought after non-immigrant visa among Indian IT professionals, and also bringing changes to the Green Card process, US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick has said.
