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The Trump administration finalised strict new rules on Thursday to limit how long foreign students and journalists can remain in the United States.
Under the new policy, which could take effect as early as September, the government will admit international students only for the duration of their academic programmes, up to a maximum of four years.
The rule also restricts foreign journalists to initial stays of 240 days, while capping visits for Chinese journalists at just 90 days.
The Department of Homeland Security finalised the regulations largely unchanged despite receiving nearly 22,000 public comments since proposing them in August 2025.
The department argues that the previous open-ended system, which dates back to the late 1970s, allowed foreigners to remain indefinitely as “forever students” and undermined national security monitoring.
Higher education groups and international media organisations strongly oppose the changes.
The Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration warned that the policy will deter global talent and further reduce international enrolments, which have already fallen due to previous visa revocations.
While Trump proposed similar restrictions during his first term, President Joe Biden later scrapped those rules, leaving this newly finalised version subject to final review by the Republican-led Congress.
