A US federal judge blocked the Trump administration from implementing new rules that would limit the duration of visas for foreign students, journalists, and participants in cultural exchange programs.
On Monday, a federal court in the United States blocked the Donald Trump administration from implementing a new rule that would limit how long foreign students, journalists, and participants in cultural exchange programs could remain in the US without applying to extend their visas. The judge's ruling came a day before the new rules were scheduled to take effect, in favor of unions and higher education advocacy groups. Since 1978, foreign students, or F visa holders, could stay in the US for their ‘duration of status’ or as long as they were enrolled as full-time students. The new rule would impact visitors on cultural exchange programs who possess a J visa and international journalists with an I visa. The visa for members of the media will be limited to 240 days. These visas are currently available for the duration of an educational program or employment in the US.
The court found that the homeland security department was adopting the policy based on ‘exceptionally weak’ rationales, as it would change a system through which the US had for nearly 50 years issued visas to foreign students for their ‘duration of status’. The current system had permitted tens of millions of foreign students and researchers to lead ‘groundbreaking research in science, medicine, and technology, substantial economic growth, and a host of other benefits, often on a vast scale’.
The new rule, if implemented, would significantly reduce the number of foreign students, academics, and journalists in the US. The judge noted that the changes would particularly affect students enrolled in doctoral programs, which typically require five years to seven years to complete. These programs have attracted heavy Indian enrollment, with 3.3 lakh students from India currently studying in the US.
In 2020, a similar proposal was announced at the end of Trump’s first term but withdrawn by the Joe Biden administration in 2021.
Source:
Scroll.in
