A US federal judge on Monday blocked a Trump administration policy that would have sharply curtailed how long foreign students and journalists can remain in the country, a day before the rules were due to take effect.
Massachusetts district judge F Dennis Saylor issued a preliminary injunction against the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) rules, warning the policy could inflict “catastrophic” damage on the US economy and higher education system. He rejected the government’s argument that the tighter limits were needed to protect the country.
The pause is the latest legal setback for President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown, which has tried to or implemented multiple measures such as capping student visa durations, tightening vetting, and restricting extensions and transfers. Universities, labour unions and rights groups have challenged several of these measures in court, arguing they cause undue hardship and lack adequate justification.
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What the rules would have done
In July, the administration announced a four-year cap on student and exchange visitor visas, and a 240-day limit on journalists’ visas, with tighter conditions for Chinese nationals. They were scheduled to come into force on Tuesday.
{{/usCountry}}In July, the administration announced a four-year cap on student and exchange visitor visas, and a 240-day limit on journalists’ visas, with tighter conditions for Chinese nationals. They were scheduled to come into force on Tuesday.
{{/usCountry}}Foreign nationals typically enter the US on three temporary categories: F for academic students, J for exchange visitors, and I for representatives of foreign media. Under the existing framework, all three groups are admitted for “duration of status” (D/S) — meaning they can remain in the country as long as they are actively pursuing their programme.
The DHS rules would have replaced D/S with a fixed period of admission. Anyone wishing to stay longer beyond the fixed term would have to apply for an extension of stay (EOS), or leave and re-enter the country. “DHS anticipates that many F, J, and I nonimmigrants will be able to complete their respective activities within their period of admission,” the department said, adding that those who could not “will generally be able to request an extension”.
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Officials said the move was aimed at mitigating risks “posed by aliens who seek to exploit these programmes and live in the United States on a non-temporary basis”.
Four-year cap for students
Under the proposal, foreign students would be admitted for a maximum of four years. To stay beyond that, they would need to file for an EOS through the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
The DHS acknowledged concerns from the education sector that many programmes exceed four years, including several doctoral degrees. It described the cap as “a law enforcement and screening tool to assess whether a student is maintaining normal academic progress and eligibility for F-1 status”, not a rigid completion deadline. Students showing progress could apply for an EOS, or travel abroad and re-enter with a fresh period of admission, it said.
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“DHS is not changing the fundamental requirements to qualify for these nonimmigrant statuses; it is only changing the length of time that an individual may lawfully remain in the United States in F or J status without filing an EOS,” the department said.
240-day cap for journalists
Foreign journalists — defined by the DHS as those working for an organisation “engaged in the regular gathering, production, or dissemination” of journalistic content with a home office abroad — are currently allowed to stay in the US for up to five years. The new rule would have cut that to 240 days, or roughly eight months, with extensions of the same length available.
Chinese journalists would have faced tighter conditions still: an admission period of 90 days, extendable by 90 days at a time. Journalists from Hong Kong SAR and Macau SAR would be exempt from the China-specific limit.
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What it means for Indian students
The injunction means Indian students enrolled in programmes lasting longer than four years will not be automatically forced to leave or scramble for an extension from Tuesday. The four-year cap would in any case have applied only when a student's specific admission period expired — but with the rule paused, the existing D/S framework continues to govern their stay.
India remained the largest source of international students in the US, according to the Institute of International Education’s Open Doors report released in November last year. It recorded 363,019 Indian students in the country in the 2024-25 academic year — a 10% rise on the previous year.
What it means for Indian journalists
For Indian journalists on I visas, the injunction offers temporary relief from what would have been a sharp cut in flexibility. Under the DHS rule, they would have needed to file for extensions around every eight months to continue reporting from the US, exposing them to more frequent federal review. Until the pause is lifted, Indian journalists currently in the US, or those planning assignments there, can continue to operate under the existing framework.
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The road ahead
The relief is temporary. The court has only paused enforcement; the DHS is expected to appeal and may seek an emergency stay to let the rule operate while the litigation continues. Until a final ruling, or intervention by a higher court, F-1, J-1 and I-visa holders — including Indians — remain governed by the D/S framework. Universities and visa holders will likely be advised to watch closely for further developments over the coming weeks.