US: Plan to restrict visas for students and journalists

2025-08-28 22:21:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Foreign journalists in the US will now have to extend their residence permits every eight months. The procedure for extending the period must be applied for at the US Immigration Authority, USCIS, which means more detailed checks. Until now, journalists from, for example, Germany were granted residence permits for up to five years.

In the future, student visas will be granted for a maximum of four years, as revealed by a publication (28.08.2025) in the US Official Gazette. Until now, students were granted visas with a duration depending on the respective academic program, which in the case of doctoral studies, the visa could be granted for up to five years.

Better control for those staying in the US on a visa

The new rule is based on the fact that previous administrations have allowed foreigners to "permanently study abroad" to stay in the United States indefinitely, the Department of Homeland Security says. "This poses security concerns, costs taxpayers countless dollars, and creates disadvantages for U.S. citizens." The new rule is intended to stop abuses and allow authorities to better monitor those who stay in the United States on visas.

The ministry did not provide data on what disadvantages foreign students create for US taxpayers. Students normally pay tuition fees and are a significant source of income for universities. In the 2023/24 academic year, about 1.1 million foreign students studied in the US, more than in any other country in the world.

Criticism from higher education institutions

Representatives of the higher education system criticized the proposed changes. If the regulation is approved, students and scientists will be faced with "regularly and unnecessarily" additional application procedures in order to complete their projects, said Miriam Feldblum, president of the Association of Presidents on Higher Education and Migration. This would burden the entire work process in higher education. Feldblum also emphasized that as a result of the greater bureaucratic obstacles, fewer and fewer academics would prefer to decide to study in the United States.

The US government has canceled about 6,000 student visas in recent months, according to its own data. Most of those affected are from China or students who have demonstrated at their universities against Israel's actions in the Gaza Strip. Trump has also cut billions of dollars in state funding for universities. Congress, meanwhile, has increased fees for private colleges./ DW