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Donald Trump moves to limit visa for foreign nationals: How it will affect Indians
Under the proposed move, the F visas for international students and J visas for exchange visitors would not be valid for a stay of more than four years.
US President Donald Trump on Wednesday moved to tighten visa rules for foreign students and journalists in America by limiting the duration of visas.
In a press release, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said that if finalised, the proposed rule would limit the duration of certain visa holders, including foreign students, allowed to stay in the US.
The Trump administration said that international students have forever taken advantage of the "US generosity" and have become "forever students", enrolling in higher education and other courses to remain in the States.
"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.
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Under the proposed move, the F visas for international students and J visas for cultural exchange participants would not be valid for a stay of more than four years.
Meanwhile, the I visas for foreign journalists would be limited to just 240 days, although they can apply to extend the duration by additional 240-day periods. However, Chinese journalists would get visas for just 90 days, news agency AFP reported.
At present, all three visas have an open-ended validity period, which allows them to remain in the US indefinitely without any fresh screening. However, under the new law, there will be a four-year cap on foreign students.
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However, DHS did not explain how US citizens and taxpayers were harmed by international students, who contributed over $50 billion to the American economy in 2023, according to Commerce Department statistics.
How would Indians be affected?
According to the Ministry of External Affairs, there were 1.33 million Indian students studying abroad last year. Of these, as of January 2024, Indians in the US ranked second with a figure of 3,37,630.
The maximum number of Indian students were enrolled in Canada: 42,7000.
According to DHS, India topped the list of foreign students (Student and Exchange Visitor Information System - SEVIS) records in the US in calendar year 2024. Indians accounted for 4,22,335 active students in America.
For most Indian students pursuing undergraduate and master's degrees, the four-year visa limit would likely align with the duration of their course.
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However, those requiring additional time for research, thesis or coursework might have to go through the process of applying for extensions, which might further bring a financial burden on them.
The largest impact is likely to be on Indian PhD students, who typically have a course duration of four to six years. But this timeline could also differ since some students might opt for programs lasting eight years or more. Part-time PhD students could take even longer time to complete their course.
As for media personnel, the limited 240-day visa validity might obstruct work plans for Indian journalists. However, the option to extend the visa by another 240-day period is a plus point.
According to US government data, there were about 1.6 million international students on F visas in America in 2024. Visas were granted to about 3,55,000 exchange visitors and 13,000 media personnel in fiscal year 2024, Reuters reported.
(with inputs from agencies)
